Finally Together
by effiecrux
Summary: Bella finally decides to pick Jacob over Edward, and after a period of time, things start to get hectic again. What will Jacob do when he imprints? :InProgress: :BellaxEdward: :Please Review:
1. Chapter 1

**Finally Together -;- BellaxJacob/BellaxEdward**

**Chapter 001**

I watched as two small children ran and danced, peals of laughter echoing off the forest around us. A large wolf stood proudly on the edge of a cliff, watching the kids as they played. Their black hair glinted and shimmered in the sun as they ran, and I sighed, hugging my knees to my chest. A breeze swirled around me, and though it wasn't cold in July, I shivered.

All of a sudden, I felt a pair of warm hands snake around my waist, and Jacob whispered, "Are you okay?" He lightly kissed the top of my head, and rested his chin there. I swallowed hard, suddenly fighting back tears.

"Sure, Jake," I swallowed again. He only hummed in response. By now, Jacob was accustomed to my unexplainable mood swings. Sometimes I would be overcome with sadness and despair without any warning. At first, Jacob worried that I might be clinically depressed, but I assured him that that wasn't it. I could never tell him what bothered me, what continued to bother me. I promised myself that I would never hurt him again, and I wasn't about to break my promise now.

I watched as one of my boys, Jake, pushed his brother Mike, and Mike tripped and fell. He started crying, and Jake sneaked a glance at me. He saw that I was watching so he promptly trotted over to me and tugged my hand, staring up at me with his lively green eyes.

"Mommy, I accidentally pushed Mike when I tagged him, and he fell and now he's crying, but I didn't mean to, Mommy, I swear I didn't mean to," Jake chattered incessantly, and I laughed. He had the most innocent angel face a boy his age could have.

"I know you didn't mean to, Jakey," I said, ruffling his dark hair. He made a face at me, ducking away from my hand. I hid a smile.

"No touching the hair, Mom! You know the rules," he complained. I heard Jacob's deep laughter behind me, and I laughed as well.

"Let's go check out Mike's boo-boo," I sighed, getting up and pulling Jacob to his feet as well. He took my hand and we walked towards Mike. Little Jake ran ahead to comfort his younger brother Mike.

"I see where Mike gets his carelessness from," Jacob noted, when I tripped over nothing, but caught myself. I threw Jacob a dirty look. Jacob chuckled quietly to himself.

"I see where Jake gets his _pushiness_ from," I shot back playfully, glancing at Jacob. He grinned at me, and squeezed my hand. Jacob and I had been together for six years now; Jake and Mike were twins, both four. Jake was technically older, though only by a minute or two. We had a quiet marriage at a small church in Forks, and most everyone I knew attended. _She _would've been disappointed. Afterwards, I settled in La Push with Jacob, and occasionally went to visit my father. Since I had kids soon after, I stayed at home as a mom to take care of them. I never regretted marrying Jacob, but sometimes I wondered...

I shook the thought from my mind. I wouldn't... I couldn't... Even though it had been so long, it still hurt for me to think of _them_. The hole in my heart had gotten smaller and smaller, but it was still there, always aching a bit around the edges. I wondered if it would ever fully mend, or if it would permanently leave its scar.

"Ooh, Mommy, Mike's knee is bleeding buckets!" Jake examined Mike's knee with fascination, though it was only a bit scratched up. My stomach still lurched uneasily at the sight of blood, but it wasn't that bad anymore.

"Mike, you need to be more careful," I scolded teasingly. I took out a bandage from my back pocket and stuck it on Mike's knee. I had a feeling earlier that I would need bandages. "There," I said, placing a kiss on his knee. Mike giggled as he squirmed away. "Don't let Jake push you around so much. He's not much older than you, you know."

"S'not my fault," Mike replied stubbornly, "Jake's mean and he pushed me down on purpose!"

"I'm sure he didn't, Mike, it was only an accident." I hugged the little boy and kissed his forehead affectionately.

"Daddy said you had lotsa accidents, Mommy," Mike said knowingly, his eyes glimmering with mischief. I turned to look at Jacob, who was avoiding my glare and staring up at the sky.

"Did he, now," I answered absentmindedly, still glaring at Jacob. He grinned sheepishly at me, and lifted his hands in defense.

"How could I resist? You were so silly back then, Bella!" Jacob was still grinning, and I playfully smacked him. Of course, it didn't hurt, but Jacob feigned hurt anyways. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Mike.

"Ignore Daddy; he doesn't know what he's talking about," I loudly whispered to Mike. He grinned at me as well.

"That's what Daddy said you'd say," He replied smugly. I threw my hands up in the air and laughed.

"What is this, are you all conspiring against me?" I exclaimed exasperatedly. "Daddy knows me too well."

"What does con-spearing mean?" Jake asked curiously. Evidently he had been eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Oh, never mind you two!" I snorted, grasping their two small hands in mine. "Let's go home and eat some dinner."

As we neared our home, we noticed a car parked in our driveway. Well, actually, quite a few cars. Jacob and I exchanged glances, and we rushed home. He threw open the door cautiously, but then straightened up and stared in shock. I rushed to catch up to him. Stupid werewolf abilities.

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" Everyone cried. When I say everyone, I mean _everyone_. Charlie, my father, was there, along with Quil, Embry, Paul, Leah, Seth, Emily, Sam... Wait. Happy _anniversary!?_ I smacked my head, completely disgusted and shocked with myself. How could have I forgotten that today was our anniversary? Jacob and I had officially been married for six years today!

"Oh man," I groaned. Jacob looked at me, anxiously. I explained, "I completely forgot it was our anniversary! I was going to bake a cake and everything. Darn it!" Jacob laughed and quickly pecked me on the lips.

"Don't worry about it, it seems as if our friends have got everything under control," Jacob reassured me confidently. He took my hand, and I noticed that my boys had already run off to play with the other kids. Shaking my head, I greeted everyone warmly with Jake by my side.

"Hi, Dad!" I hugged my father warmly, and he held me tightly as well. "Wow, what a surprise. Even though you know I hate surprises." I tried to sound disapproving, but so happy and relieved was I that he had remembered about my anniversary, I sounded more gleeful.

Charlie chortled. "Yeah, I told Billy, but he didn't listen. A surprise is good for you once in a while, though. How are the kids?" My father and I chatted animatedly for a few minutes, before Jacob pulled me away to talk to his friends.

"Quil! Embry!" I embraced each of the gigantic Quileute boys gingerly, afraid they'd completely overwhelm me and I'd disappear. Though it had been six years, they were still boys to me.

"You haven't changed much," Quil remarked, looking me over. We hadn't seen each other for a while, because Quil had been busy with his new business, when he wasn't being a werewolf of course.

"It's still been a while, Quil. But to be honest, you look the same as well. Wonder why that is...?" I teased Quil playfully, knowing full well that werewolves did not age. Though I was no werewolf, I had to agree. I hadn't grown much taller, if at all, and I still looked the same. "How's Claire?"

Quil's eyes softened and his whole face became sensitive and gentle. "Claire's finally eight, and she's growing wonderfully. It's not long now..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That's great!" I exclaimed contentedly, happy that Quil was happy. Quil had been like an older brother to Claire, ever since she was two. He had watched her grow and he would continue to wait until Claire was old enough to be with him. Sometimes I saw Claire around the reservation, and I had to agree that she was being brought up well. Claire was very pretty and athletic as well.

I turned to Embry. "And you?" He sighed.

"I have a girlfriend, but I haven't been imprinted yet. I'm afraid that I'll still be with my girlfriend if I am. She doesn't deserve that... She deserves to know."

I nodded sympathetically. Jacob was also forever scared that he would imprint upon another girl. Though lately, he had mentioned it less and less, and I guessed that he had accepted that he wouldn't imprint on someone else, like I had always believed. I believed that Jacob loved me enough that he could never love anyone else.

"Only time will tell, Embry. Give it time. You've got, well, forever..." I trailed off, half-smiling at him. He smiled weakly back at me. Jacob placed his hand on his shoulder reassuringly, and Quil smiled at him as well.

"It's not that bad," Quil said, still smiling.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, maybe you'll never imprint on someone. The legends and stories said it was pretty rare, at least back then," Jacob smiled as well, though somewhat bitterly. I remembered when Jacob believed that the stories weren't real, and he had unknowingly told me what I had needed to know back then.

Suddenly, Sam appeared. "Jacob, I need to talk to you."

"Later, Sam. Now's not the time."

"Jacob-"

Jacob gritted his teeth and hissed quietly, "I said LATER, Sam!"

I looked at Jacob in surprise and shock. He always obeyed Sam, since he was still the leader, and he rarely lashed out in anger anymore.

"Fine, Jacob, but soon," Sam looked unperturbed, which was very unlike him. Quil and Embry also looked taken aback, startled by Jacob's reaction.

"Jacob, what's gotten into you?" I whispered hastily. He turned to me after a second, with a smile that looked forced and too exaggerated to be passed off as natural.

"Don't worry about it. Just nothing I want to discuss right now. Especially on our anniversary," Jacob's eyes looked tired, and he took my hand in his. Worried as I was, I tried to push these thoughts aside. This _was_ our anniversary after all, and I was determined not to ruin it with my doubts and worries.

"So who wants food?" I asked brightly after Jacob and I had gotten a hold on ourselves. Quil and Embry's faces lit up.

"Food! That sounds good right now!" Quil exclaimed excitedly. "I haven't eaten in a few hours." I tried not to roll my eyes.

"I hope Billy bought enough food," I muttered to myself, as I stalked over to the kitchen, dragging Jacob behind.

"Bella! Just the person I wanted to see!" Billy warmly shook my hand with a huge smile, wheeling his chair from out of the crowd. "Happy anniversary! You too, son. Wow, six years already?" He whistled.

"Hi Billy, I know. It's gone by fast, hasn't it? And thanks for organizing this party!" I said gratefully. "Did you happen to get enough food? You know how hard it is to feed Jake and his friends. Plus the thousand other people here." Billy looked insulted.

"Bella, of COURSE I got enough food! We hired caterers, and the food is outside in the backyard with enough food to feed a hundred! And there are only thirty or so of us here. Don't forget, Jacob was my son as well. I'd know how much he eats by now." Billy replied. I blushed and opened my mouth to say something else, but Billy sensed what I was going to say and quickly said, "And don't you worry about the bill. You won't have to pay for a thing. Your father and I have got it all under control." He winked at me and wheeled off to speak with Charlie.

I stood there, stunned. If you ask me, there were more surprises than I had bargained for going on. "Your father knows me too well, too," I grumbled grudgingly. Jacob laughed and tugged at my hand.

"Come on. Let's go get food."

**Authoress' Note (please read): I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/2/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and nobody may even be interested in this story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far.**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Hardly anything makes me more happy than reading a review by an enthusiastic reader. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. Criticism is appreciated, as long as it is /constructive/. Thank you!**

**And lastly, I'm sorry that none of my chapters have names. xx I'm not creative enough, ha, sorry!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Finally Together -;- BellaxJacob/BellaxEdward**

**Chapter 002**

The backyard had completely transformed. People were talking and laughing, with plates of food in their hands. Light conversation could be heard all around, while kids giggled and romped about on the grass. The scent of food wafted in the air, and Jacob sniffed hungrily.

"What are you, a dog?" I joked, smacking him lightly. "Get in line before you starve to death."

Jacob pulled me closer to him, breathing on my hair. I shivered gently. As we neared the tables, greetings and "Happy Anniversary!" was shouted at us from every direction. I tried to smile and thank everyone, but it was difficult when I didn't know where the voices came from half the time.

All of the food looked so good that I got a bit of everything, and Jacob obviously thought so too, since he piled one plate with enough food to cover three plates. We sat down at the largest table, at two seats that had been labeled with our names.

Jacob immediately scarfed down almost half his plate, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Many of the werewolves were also sitting around the table, next to their significant others. Emily smiled at me from across the table and I smiled back. She and I had become good friends over the past few years. When I looked closer, I saw that her eyes held some sadness and regret. She looked away when Sam sat down next to her, back with another plate of food. I soon forgot about Emily's expression as I engaged in the lively conversation. The boys soon decided to have a competition on who could fit more than two drumsticks in their mouth. I shook my head, hiding a smile. Ridiculous. They were all going to choke and die. At least the chicken drumsticks were tiny.

"Jacob, that's cheating! You can't chew up the meat to fit more in your mouth!" Paul complained, throwing a bone at him. Jacob grinned widely, showing off all the lovely half-chewed food in his mouth. Everybody groaned and looked away disgustedly.

"Jake!" I reprimanded, trying to choke back the laughter that was rising in my throat."

"Sorry, Bells," Jacob shut his mouth and chewed for a few seconds before swallowing. "Better?" He opened his mouth again, to show that there was no more food.

"Much," I answered, laughing. "You're so immature!"

"And you're not?" He retorted.

"Point taken. We're still young, though."

"That's true," Jacob allowed, chewing thoughtfully, with his mouth closed, thankfully.

The party progressed quickly. I thought I saw Sam and Jacob speaking to each other at one point, but I may have imagined it. Cake and dessert were soon brought out, to everyone's delight. It never ceased to amaze me how one man, or werewolf, could eat five times the amount an average human could. Jacob ended up giving a short speech, which brought tears to my eyes. It was sweet and unexpected, completely something that Jacob would do. My two kids also went up and said that they loved us very much, and that we were the best parents any kids could have, no matter what would happen in the future. I actually cried a little when I heard this. Jacob seemed to grow quieter and quieter as time went on. I noticed this when he started to stare off into space more often.

"Jacob, are you okay?" I whispered quietly, placing my hand on his arm. He refocused, and smiled at me.

"Yeah, fine, I'm just a little tired."

I sensed that he might be lying, but I didn't ask about it. "The party will be over soon, and then we can go to our room and relax, after we put the kids in bed." He nodded, accepting this. Sure enough, the party began to wind down, and guests started to leave. Jacob and I stood by the door and bade everyone goodbye, and promises them that we would see them soon. At last, it was just Jake and I, and a few friends that had stuck around to help clean up. Emily happened to be one of them, and I was pleased that she had stayed.

"Bella," Emily started. I looked up. She looked tired, and the scars on her face seemed to somehow add to her distress.

"What is it?" I questioned anxiously. "Does anything hurt?" I knew that Emily was one or two months into pregnancy.

"No, nothing like that," She hesitated, and seemed to make up her mind. "Well, just know that I'm here if you need someone to talk to, okay?" This further added to the growing suspicion in my mind that something was very wrong.

"Thank you, Emily, I appreciate it," I thanked her, though I wanted to scream out questions that I knew she would probably not have the answers too. I was just being paranoid, as usual. _Why is Jacob acting like this? What did Sam want with Jacob?_

We quickly finished cleaning up, and finally Jake and I were allowed to be alone. Jake and Mike had taken their baths and were waiting to be tucked into bed.

"Goodnight, Jakey," I kissed Jake's forehead affectionately, and carefully pulled his blanket around him. Mike had already fallen asleep, so I just kissed him and fixed his blanket. I turned off the light and was halfway out the door when Jake spoke.

"Mommy?" Jake called. I couldn't see Jake's face very well in the dark, but I thought he looked uncertain. A night light illuminated his face dimly.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I... love you, Mommy."

I smiled at him. "I love you too, Jake. Sleep tight and sweet dreams." Jake snuggled down into his bed and I left the room.

Jacob was lying on the bed, reading a book when I entered our room. He motioned for me to come sit next to him on the bed.

"I've got to shower first, I'll be out in a few minutes tops," I promised, going into the bathroom.

A shower was exactly what I needed. I relaxed as the hot water unknotted my shoulders and released the stress from my day. I quickly washed, and then turned off the water and stepped out. I dried my hair with a towel, and then brushed my teeth, trying to be thorough and swift. Finally, I was done, and I walked out, my hair still damp. Jacob was still in the same position, but he had put down his book. He waited for me to sit down on the bed, before wrapping his arm around my waist and burying his face into my neck.

"How was your day?" Jacob kissed my neck. "Mmm, you smell good."

"I just showered." I rolled my eyes. "But my day was good. Did you enjoy the party?"

"It was fun. I thought you enjoyed yourself as well. I thought you hated surprises and parties."

"I do. That wasn't so bad though. Everybody was familiar."

"That's true. You feel more comfortable with people you know."

"What did you and Sam talk about?" I remembered that I had thought I had seen Jacob and Sam together.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you and Sam talking together at the party tonight." Or did I?

"Bella, I told Sam I'd talk to him later. I wasn't with him at the party tonight. You must've seen somebody else."

We both fell silent, immersed in our own thoughts. Jacob continued to kiss my neck.

"Are you tired?" I asked suddenly. I recalled that Jacob had mentioned he was, earlier in the night.

"Yeah. We should go to sleep now," He sighed, and let me go to reach over and turn off the lamp on his side of the bed. I did the same.

"Goodnight, Jacob. I love you," I murmured, turning over to sleep on my side. I must have been really tired and fallen asleep, because I didn't hear Jacob say 'I love you' back.

Sometime in the night, I woke with a start. I sat up and rubbed at my eyes sleepily, trying to figure out why I had woken up. I wasn't having a bad dream, as far I remembered. I glanced down, and noticed Jacob was no longer lying next to me. I lay back down and thought blearily, _Jacob must be in the bathroom._

**Authoress' Note (please read): I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/2/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and nobody may even be interested in this story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far.**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Hardly anything makes me more happy than reading a review by an enthusiastic reader. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. Criticism is appreciated, as long as it is /constructive/. Thank you!**

**And lastly, I'm sorry that none of my chapters have names. xx I'm not creative enough, ha, sorry!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally Together -;- BellaxJacob/BellaxEdward**

**Chapter 003**

I woke up again, at what seemed like a few minutes later. Jacob still wasn't beside me. This time, I roused myself enough to get out of bed and pad over to the bathroom. The light wasn't on, and Jacob wasn't there. Now I was worried, so I immediately hurried to the kids' room. Little Jake and Mike were sleeping soundly, safe in their beds. I turned to go out, but then stopped.

"Jake. Jake," I shook Jake gently, and he mumbled something unintelligible before opening his eyes.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Jake mumbled sleepily.

"Did you see Daddy? He's not here."

"No. Where is he?"

"I don't know, I was wondering if he came in to see you guys before he left."

"Mom, Dad's a werewolf. He probably went out to check to make sure everything's okay. Daddy's almost as paranoid as you are." Jake rolled his eyes at me, and then rolled over to go back to sleep. I stayed there for another minute, letting Jake's plausible reason sink in. He was obviously more awake than I was.

Of course Jacob was out doing his regular rounds! How stupid could I be? Resorting to asking my own _kid_ if he had seen where his dad had gone. Why couldn't I have reached that conclusion on my own? I was disgusted with myself. Jacob wouldn't have wanted to wake me up just to tell me that he was going out to run around town. He knew I was cranky if I was waken up unnecessarily. I shook my head as I climbed back into bed. Honestly, my head wasn't working right these days.

Somebody kissed me on the cheek. I must've fallen back asleep. I opened one eye, and saw Jacob's face. _Jakey was right._

"Hiya there." I stretched my arms and made all those lovely morning sounds.

"Good morning, Bella sweetie, sleep well?"

"I slept okay," I allowed. I hadn't forgotten that I had woken up several times during the night.

"Just okay?" Jacob questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, I guess I wasn't fully awake, because I woke up a couple of times and noticed you were gone and I couldn't figure out why." Jake froze, one of his legs in his pants.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I-" I cut him off.

"No need to apologize Jacob, I realized that you were probably out doing your regular werewolf rounds." I half-smiled at him. "Did you see anything interesting? That was probably what Sam wanted to talk to you about yesterday, right?"

Jake relaxed and finished putting on his pants and nodded. "Yeah, exactly..."

"Well?" I prodded, after a few minutes of silence.

"Well, what?"

"What was it? What was Sam so worried and you so agitated about yesterday? You don't usually snap at Sam like that."

"Oh that," Jacob thought for a second, as if unsure whether he wanted to tell me or not.

"I can handle it," I hinted.

"Fine, well, Sam thought he had smelled some... vampires nearby," Jacob finally said resignedly, watching my face carefully for my reaction.

Vampires? My heart sped up, and started to throb painfully. I clutched my arms to my chest. "Did he- Was it-" I choked on my words.

"It wasn't them," Jacob said hastily. "We would know their scent anywhere. Turns out it was just a couple o' vampires passing by. They were long gone by the time we caught the scent. They must've smelled the scent of werewolves and bolted. Though they couldn't have known who we were..."

My heart started to slow to its normal beat. I waited until it was completely regular again. "That's good," I said, closing my eyes.

"Yeah. Do you want to go back to sleep? The kids won't be up for a little bit."

"No, its fine, I think I'll cook you breakfast and do a little housecleaning. I'm not sure if we got everything from last night," I decided.

"Nahh, don't cook me breakfast. I got to go now or else I'll be late," Jacob said.

"You have a meeting?" I asked, getting dressed. Jacob worked at an automobile repair shop.

"Yeah, nothing big though."

"Still, good luck. Bye now, love you," I called absentmindedly, trying to decide what shirt I should wear.

"Love you," Jacob replied, hurrying out the door. I finally picked out a light blue, button-up shirt. Jacob popped his head back in the room not a few seconds later.

"Oh, and Bella? I need to speak with you later tonight." Then he was gone. I tried not to think too much about what he would want to talk to me about, but I couldn't help it. Jacob and I talked every night; what made this night so different? I sighed. It wouldn't do for me to worry about it now, since I wouldn't even see Jacob until he came home from work. I brushed my teeth and gathered my hair into a low ponytail. Then I went downstairs to fix the kids breakfast, which consisted of cereal, eggs, and bacon. I washed dirty dishes, but my mind continued to wander. _Jacob had been acting weird yesterday. Was he really on his rounds? Were there really even vampires? Does where he was yesterday connect to what he wants to talk to me about tonight?_ I couldn't take it any longer. All of these questions running around my head, and no answers. I slammed down a plate, frustrated.

"You okay, Mom?" Mike padded into the kitchen in his pajamas and slippers, rubbing his eyes. I whirled around, surprised.

"I'm fine, Mikey, the plate just slipped from my grasp," I answered quickly. "Breakfast is on the table. Is Jake up yet?"

"I don't know. I think so."

I went upstairs, and found Jake just getting out of bed.

"Good morning, Mom!" Jake said enthusiastically. He reached out his arms and I gave him a hug.

"Morning, Jake. Did you sleep well?" I couldn't help but grin at Jake's cute face. He puckered his lips and thought for a minute.

"Yes, I did. Except when you woked me up that in the night. Did you ever find out where Daddy was?" Jake looked excited, waiting for my answer.

"Yes, you were right. Daddy was out on his rounds."

"YESSSSSSS!" Jake shouted, dancing around his room. "I was right, I was right." I looked on at him, amused.

"Come on, Jake, time for breakfast. Mikey's already eating."

"Okay," He said obediently, grabbing my hand. I let him lead me down the stairs, and to the breakfast table. While they ate, I made up my mind and grabbed the phone.

I was going to call Emily and figure out what was going on.

I dialed Emily's number nimbly, and waited for her to pick up. She had to know something. She wouldn't have told me that she was there for me if she didn't know anything. "Kids, you can watch T.V. after you're done," I called to them while the phone rang. I didn't want them pestering me while I was on the phone. Jake and Mike started chattering about which shows were on and the episodes that they had already seen.

"Hello?"

"Emily! Hello!" I greeted cheerfully, suddenly nervous for some reason.

"Bella? Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned.

"No, nothing of that sort. I was just wondering if you knew what was going on with Jacob? If Sam told you anything?"

Emily paused for a moment. "Did Jacob tell you... anything?" I furrowed my eyebrows and thought, biting my lip.

"No, I don't believe he did... All he said was that he wanted to talk to me tonight. But he didn't say about what," I recalled. Emily sighed, and I could hear pots and pans banging around. She must've been in the kitchen.

"Bella, I don't think it's my place to say anything. I wouldn't worry about it too much, though, Jacob is a good man." Emily seemed to be choosing her words very carefully. I was quiet for a minute.

"So you do know something then?" I questioned uncertainly.

There was another pause. "I would say I know more than you do," Emily finally said.

"And you can't tell me anything?" I prompted, just to make sure. Emily stirred and sighed again.

"No, I can't. I'm sorry, Bella. The only thing I can tell you is that you need to listen to what Jacob has to say tonight, okay? Because he does have something to tell you, even if he backs out." Emily seemed happy with her answer. I nodded, satisfied, though Emily couldn't see me through the phone.

"Thank you, Emily. That really helped. I'm not angry at you or anything; I know that if you could tell me, you would. And I probably shouldn't be going behind Jacob's back and asking others about this, anyways." Emily laughed, a quiet, tinkling sound.

"It's okay, you have every right to ask if your husband's acting strange," Emily said relieved, still laughing.

"I agree. Well, thanks again. I should probably go tend to the kids. They're watching T.V. now," I said, able to hear the sounds of the cartoons that were on T.V. right now.

"No problem, Bella. Goodbye!"

"Bye, Emily!" I hung up the phone and wandered into the living room, where my two kids sat not three feet away from the T.V.

"Mike! Jake! Get back on the couch! You're going to go blind!" I scolded, placing my hands on my hips. Both of them climbed wordlessly onto the couch, eyes still glued to the T.V. I sighed. Maybe telling them to watch T.V. wasn't such a great idea after all.

**Authoress' Note**** (please read): I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/14/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and nobody may even be interested in this story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far.**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Hardly anything makes me more happy than reading a review by an enthusiastic reader. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. Criticism is appreciated, as long as it is /constructive/. Thank you!**

**And lastly, I'm sorry that none of my chapters have names. xx I'm not creative enough, ha, sorry!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally Together -;- BellaxJacob/BellaxEdward**

**Chapter 004**

The day passed uneventfully. I eagerly anticipated Jacob's return home, and I sat down to wait around the time Jacob arrived at home usually. My leg was bouncing up and down nervously. Finally, finally, when I could wait no longer, I heard the garage door open and Jacob's car driving in. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Kids! Dinnertime, daddy's home!" I called up the stairs. I had already set the table and made dinner, and I had been left with nothing to do except worry and give in to my nerves.

"What's for dinner?" Jacob walked in, grinning. He came over and bent over, pecking my lips. Immediately, tension seemed to drain out of my body. _I'm a fool for worrying so much. There's obviously nothing bad going on._

"Ewwww! Mom, Dad, stop doing that!" Jake complained, covering his eyes as he skidded to a halt a few feet from the dining room table. Jacob and I laughed, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Jakey," I said, ruffling Jake's hair. He grimaced at me, and then stalked over to his place at the table.

"Seriously, Mom. That's gross!"

"What's gross?" Mike ran over to the table.

"Mom and Dad were..." Jake looked around and whispered loudly, "_kissing!_"

"Ewwwwwwww!" Mike and Jake both squealed. I rolled my eyes playfully, and caught Jacob's eye. He was trying hard not to smile.

"Okay, enough making fun of Mom and Dad. Can we eat?" I suggested, attempting to sound annoyed.

"Sure, Mom," Jake and Mike chorused. Dinner went by without incident, and I had almost completely forgotten that Jacob had something that he needed to tell me. So after I cleared and mopped the table, I marched up to Jacob, who was washing the dishes. I cleared my throat.

"Hi, Bells." Jacob smiled at me lazily. "Why so serious?"

"You had something you needed to tell me?" I said brusquely, swallowing hard. "I'm just preparing for bad news." Jacob looked stricken, and even a bit surprised that I had remembered.

"I should've known you would've remembered. And worried," He muttered to himself. He thought to himself for a minute, and I resisted the urge to start tapping my foot impatiently, though I was full of nervous energy. At last, he spoke. "It's nothing."

"Nothing?" I asked cautiously. He nodded curtly. "Nothing!?

"I don't believe you." Jacob turned to look at me incredulously. He put the last plate in the cupboard, then wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Bella, since when would I have lied-" Jacob began.

"Jacob, I know you have something to tell me. Don't ask me how, but I know," I said firmly. He looked at me curiously, seeming to slump in defeat.

"Okay, you're right, there's something I've been keeping from you," Jacob admitted hesitantly.

"Something big?"

"Something big."

I stood there silently for a moment. Was Jacob hurt? Was one of our friends sick or diseased? Maybe... Maybe Jacob stopped- I banished the thought from my mind. It hurt too much for me to even imagine it.

"What?" I finally whispered. Jacob walked over to me and took my hand.

"Let's go to our room."

"Bella, sweetie, listen to what I have to say. Don't overreact until I'm done speaking, okay?" Jacob seemed determined to grind out every detail. I just nodded mutely, toying with the bed cover.

"Bella. I've been imprinted."

My first thought was to scream. My second thought was to cry. Instead, I only stared in horror, and struggled to keep my mouth shut.

"Before you try to hurt me, or scream, or do something completely rash, let me explain," Jacob said hastily, watching my face warily.

"I've been imprinted, but I'm going to stay with you. I'm going to stay with you because I love you, and because we have kids that we both love very dearly. I'm going to be the first one to resist the strong love and adoration that comes with the imprinting. I have to Bella. I tried my hardest to win your hand, and I'm not going to allow my werewolf impulses to take you away from me. I'm not," Jacob said it with as much conviction possible, though it sounded as if he were trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince me.

"She's beautiful, Bella. She's perfect for me in every way, but so are you. You went through so much pain and agony, and I still see some of it in you every day. I don't want to leave you, Bella. I don't want to ever see you so hurt and broken again. I know you had me when... _he_ left-" I flinched at the mention of _him_, but Jacob continued as if he hadn't noticed, and for that I was grateful. "But who will you have if **I** leave? See, Bella, I can't leave you. It's not possible. It won't ever be possible. I met up with her the day you thought-"

I closed my eyes and interrupted, "Just one quick question. What's her name?"

Jacob looked pained, and I could tell he really didn't want to tell me, for what reason I did not know. "Her name's not important."

"To me, it is!" I half-shrieked, on the verge of hysterics. As much as Jacob didn't want to leave me, I knew he would have to one day. I had seen the other werewolves when they were imprinted, and they were so infatuated with their significant others it was almost too much.

"Hey, Bella, don't cry. Didn't I say I wasn't going to leave you? Where are the tissues?" Jacob rummaged around frantically on his bedside table.

"I'm not going to cry," I managed to mumble stiffly. "I just want to know her name." Jacob seemed to be warring with himself. One part of him wanted to tell me her name and melt at the sound of it, and the other didn't want to hurt me and wanted to keep her name a secret.

"Don't freak, Bella, okay, but her name is Victoria."

I freaked. I would have fallen off the bed if Jacob hadn't caught me at the last second.

"I thought I told you not to freak," Jacob joked weakly. I didn't find it funny. I stared at him, wishing so hard that this was an entire joke, a farce, that I felt a headache coming on. Jacob wouldn't play a joke this mean on me though. And this was exactly the type of thing that Emily wouldn't be allowed to tell me. I waited, and Jacob waited, until I had composed myself. I would try to be calm at the end. I wouldn't cry until I was alone and by myself. Whenever that would be.

"So her name's Victoria. What else?" _What else can you say that will hurt me even more?_ I secretly added in my head.

"That night that you thought I was out doing my nightly rounds, well, I did do those. But I went to see Victoria too. I told her..." Jacob hesitated before continuing, "I told her I couldn't be with her. I _wouldn't_ be with her. She looked absolutely devastated, and completely heartbroken. Bella, she's nothing like... Well, she's very sweet. She's the most kind, compassionate, and understanding girl. She knew that I was married, and that I didn't want to leave you, so she said she'd wait. Can you believe it? She said she'd wait, though I just told her the most heart wrenching thing an imprinted person could hear." Jacob shook his head ruefully.

Victoria. Kind. Compassionate. Understanding. Beautiful. I bet she wasn't even half as close to clumsiness as I was. In my head, I could picture some gorgeous blonde model, tall and with her hair blowing in the wind. Everything I wasn't. I shook my head sadly. Why would Jacob want to stay with me? The only reason he would want to stay with me was out of pity, or guilt. He knew there was something better for him out there, waiting for him, but he continued to slave his life here, with a girl he pitied. That he did not love me nearly as much as he loved this... Victoria. A thought suddenly struck me.

"Do the kids know?" I asked sharply. Jacob sucked in a breath, and let it out unsteadily.

"I had to tell them. I told them they couldn't tell you, that I would tell you when the time is right. The kids have met Victoria, you know," Jacob confessed miserably. I nodded again. It made sense, in a way. But the kids would stay with me when Jacob decided to leave. I knew he could not stay with me forever.

"How long have you been imprinted?" I questioned cautiously, unsure if I wanted to know. A week? A few days? And how? Where had he met her? Why hadn't he told me sooner? How come Emily knew and I didn't? I knew all of the werewolves would know but... When was he planning to tell me, if I hadn't reminded him tonight? Would he ever have told me? Would he have just left me one day, without any notice? So many questions ran through my mind.

Jacob paused, running the question through his mind. "Two months."

"Where did you meet her? How? Why didn't you tell me sooner? TWO MONTHS!? How come-" I realized that Jacob might not know that I had talked to Emily, so I switched my question. "How come I haven't seen you go out to meet Victoria before?" Jacob held up his hands, so I stopped.

"One question at a time," Jacob laughed, a deep sound that reverberated around the room.

"I met her when she brought her car in one day to the automobile repair shop. She lives alone, and she just finished college. She's an orphan, her parents died when she finished her first year of college. Victoria has an older brother, but they're not very close. The reason I didn't tell you sooner was because I thought I could handle it. I thought I could tell her to go away, and she would just stop coming back. She came to the shop to see me often. Usually every week. Also, I didn't know how badly you would react to this news. I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't leave you. I told you Victoria comes to visit me, so that explains your last question. And sometimes I meet her out late at night. She understands my sticky situation," Jacob explained. I processed all of this information as quickly as possible. In a way, I admired the way Jacob handled this situation. I couldn't just forget that he was imprinted now, though.

"So what now?" I asked, almost inaudibly, after a long period of silence. Jacob shifted uncomfortably.

"That, Bella, I do not know."

**Authoress' Note**** (please read): I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/14/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and nobody may even be interested in this story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far.**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Hardly anything makes me more happy than reading a review by an enthusiastic reader. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. Criticism is appreciated, as long as it is /constructive/. Thank you!**

**And lastly, I'm sorry that none of my chapters have names. xx I'm not creative enough, ha, sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally Together -;- BellaxJacob/BellaxEdward**

**Chapter 005 – Filler**

**Note:**Sorry this is really short. :P It's just a filler, like it says above. xD Read my homepage for my details. (:

The week passed. I lived through most of the days in a dream state, and many people I know came to our house that week to tell me that they were sorry and that they were there for me. Emily came over every day and visited me. Sometimes I cried, sometimes I just sat there numbly, as if I had no idea what was going on. Jacob became more and more distant as well, and I knew he was miserable. We were both miserable. Everyone was miserable. Even the weather was miserable, raining day after day after day.

The doorbell rang and I rose wearily to get it.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Bella," Charlie said gruffly when I opened the door. He immediately embraced me and I was afraid that I might cry. So I smiled my hardest instead.

"I sure do, Dad. Don't you have business to get back to?" I asked. He waved that off as if it were an unimportant detail.

"You're my business as well," He reminded, "You're my daughter." Then I couldn't help it. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve.

"So what's been going on?" Charlie asked kindly, seating himself in a chair at the dining room table. He pretended as if he hadn't seen anything.

"Oh, you know, the usual," I mumbled, "Jacob's imprinted and all I want to do is be selfish. I want him to tell her to stay away, to go away. But I can't. It'll hurt Jacob, and it'll hurt Victoria. And I don't want to hurt Jacob, especially. Charlie, what do I do? What _can_ I do?"

Charlie thought for a moment. "Bella, you're in a tricky situation. But sweetie, you're all grown up now. I can't tell you want to do. What I would do is... Well, no, I can't tell you that either. I want you to figure out what you do on your own. Think about it. Sleep on it. Whatever you do, don't make decisions rashly. And if you do happen to make a big decision, know what's going to happen or what you're going to do afterwards."

I let Charlie's words sink into me. Charlie obviously assumed I was going to make some big decision, but what? The thought struck me like a thunderbolt, and it hurt twice as much.

"No..." I whispered, and Charlie's carefully guarded eyes couldn't hold on any longer. Sadness and tiredness flooded his eyes, and also worry. "I can't. I won't."

"Bella, you might have to," Charlie said gently. "Like I said, don't make any rash decisions. You might not have to, either. This can go both ways. Think about it."

I did think about it. I closed my eyes and I thought about it. I prayed I wouldn't have to do it. I prayed I wouldn't have to... it would hurt too much. It would hurt me more. It would remind me of the last time... I shuddered. When had I become so weak? Jacob was the one that made me healthy. He made me happy.

If I made this decision...

Was I strong enough? Could I handle it?

"Dad, I can't do it. I seriously can't. It would break me," I whispered hoarsely. He nodded and stood up.

"Bella, you're a good-" Charlie struggled for a word to say, "-You're a good person. I know that whatever you choose to do, it will be for a good reason. You'll see Bella; it'll all turn out for the better." He patted me on the shoulder and made his way out. "I'll come visit in a few days, Bella. I love you."

I nodded numbly and followed him to the door. "I love you too, Dad," I said, trying to strengthen myself. I made myself believe that everything would be okay. I made myself believe all those clichés. It would turn out for the better. It would turn out for the better because I, Isabella Marie Swan, a mother of two wonderful children and a wonderful husband, would make it better.

And nobody wants to get in the way of a devoted mother with a fierce determination.

**Authoress' Note**** (please read): I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/14/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and nobody may even be interested in this story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far.**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Hardly anything makes me more happy than reading a review by an enthusiastic reader. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. Criticism is appreciated, as long as it is /constructive/. Thank you!**

**And lastly, I'm sorry that none of my chapters have names. xx I'm not creative enough, ha, sorry!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Finally Together -;- BellaxJacob/BellaxEdward**

**Chapter 006**

I hummed contentedly to myself, happily bustling about our bedroom. It had gotten rather cluttered over the last few months and I decided to start cleaning it up. Dirty clothes were thrown into the hamper to be washed, and old papers and receipts were thrown into the trash. The mirror was wiped off and the top of the dresser was cleaned off as well. I vacuumed the floor, and I finally finished fixing up the appearance of the room. It was time to start going through drawers and throwing things out, which was always a difficulty because Jacob was a complete packrat.

"Mike," I called out, and paused to listen for a response.

"Yeah," A faint voice yelled from downstairs.

"Can you come up here for a second?" I asked, sorting through pictures and papers that had been shoved carelessly into the drawer. A large pile of toys sat beneath me, things I managed to find in odd corners of the room and under the bed. I heard Mike's feet pattering up the stairs not a few moments later.

"Hi Mommy. What do you need?" Mike asked sweetly. I smiled at him, and pointed to the pile of toys beside me.

"Can you put these in your room? In your toybox? I found these all over the room." I rolled my eyes playfully. He rolled his eyes back at me, but grudgingly obliged and began to scoop up the toys. "Thanks, sweetie." I turned around and went back to going through the drawer.

There were pictures of our wedding, the kids being born, parties, celebrations, past anniversaries, everything. I smiled as I remembered each event, carefully setting down each picture in a pile. I would organize them when I had more time.

After throwing out quite a few pictures and old, dirty photographs, I came across an old scrapbook buried at the bottom of a drawer that seemed as if it hadn't been opened for years. My heart started to pound painfully in my chest as I brushed off the dust on the cover. _Scrapbook_ had been scrawled beautifully across the top, and I would've known that handwriting anywhere. I held my breath and slowly turned to the first page, knowing exactly what I would find deep in my heart.

There he was. Edward. In all of his brilliance, he was smiling at me, forever frozen, forever imprinted on that thin sheet of paper. Upon looking closer, I noticed that his eyes were tight and filled with anxiety. I closed my eyes, trying to remember those days... And I noticed it didn't hurt as much.

_Edward... These pictures were taken before he left me for the first time... Something about my birthday..._

Suddenly it all rang clear. Edward had left me, and then I had left him. I thought it had only hurt me when he had left, but it had hurt him too. Maybe even more so. Then... After he had come back, no matter how much it went against what he thought was right for me, I had left him. I decided to leave him. I must've decided that he wasn't... He wasn't _good_ enough for me. How could I have ever been so naïve? How could I have ever even thought that? Jacob was like... Jacob had been like an escape for me. It had always hurt too much for me to think about Edward ever leaving me again. No matter what Edward had said, he had invoked that fear deep into my heart. I couldn't stand it, so I banished that fear... I banished Edward. If I left him, if I left him first, he would never be able to hurt me again. I had been selfish.

And all this time... I didn't allow myself to think of how Edward felt, about Edward's feelings. Everything had been about me. And maybe about Jacob, too. But mostly about me. How...? I was... Terrible. A monster. What was wrong with me...? Could I? What would I do?

I shuddered. I wasn't even thinking coherently anymore, and my arm was wet. Surprised, I wiped at my eyes and noticed that there were tears leaking from them.

"Oh, this won't do. Jacob can't find me like this or he'll want to know what's wrong," I mumbled to myself, sniffling and picking up a box of tissues. I carefully closed the scrapbook and shoved it under the bed.

"Bella, I'm home!" Jacob called out as the door slammed. He sounded weary and tired. I jumped up, suddenly rejuvenated. I needed to play the role of a good mother and a good wife, and I couldn't do that in such a bedraggled state.

"Coming!" I yelled, as I splashed cold water onto my face. I hurriedly wiped off my face and rushed out the bathroom door, bumping into someone. "Oh!"

Jacob chuckled as I took a step back and bumped into a wall. "Ever the klutz, aren't we?"

"Oh, shush," I grumbled half-heartedly, rubbing at the back of my head. I turned to leave the room, but Jacob caught my chin.

"Your eyes are a little red," He noticed. I mumbled something about werewolves having too many abilities that they could use to their advantage. Unfair. "What, Bella?" Jacob's eyes seemed to be glimmering mischievously.

I cleared my throat. "I SAID that I was looking through our old pictures and I got a little emotional."

"Sure, sure," Jacob scoffed. "I definitely heard something about werewolves in there."

"No, actually, you didn't."

"I'm sure I did. Don't forget, I have good hearing as well." He seemed to be enjoying this. I glared at him, resignedly.

"It's unfair about how many stupid abilities you guys get," I sighed, grabbing his hand and pulling towards the door. "Come on, we've got to start dinner or else the kids will whine up a storm.

"Speaking of werewolves," Jacob started uncertainly. I stopped.

"Yes?" I turned towards him expectantly. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and I guessed this had something to do with Victoria. I steeled myself for the worst.

"Well..." Jacob stalled, seeming to regret he had brought this up at all.

"Go on. Something about Victoria...?" I prompted coolly. Jacob looked stricken.

"No, nothing like that at all. It might even be worse," He muttered, more to himself. Now I was intrigued. Not about Victoria, but something worse? The blood started to drain from my face.

"The Volturi!?" I whispered inaudibly. I reached out for something, anything to steady myself. The world seemed to be spinning and I was getting a terrible headache. Jacob grabbed me and pulled me close. Now that I thought about it, they were due for another check-up. After all, _he_ had promised that I would become a vampire in no time at all. I shivered, remembering back to the days when I had wanted to be a vampire just so that I could live forever with him.

"No, though that might be why the bloodsuckers are back..." Jacob pondered that for a second, before glancing at my face, horrorstruck. I knew he hadn't meant to blurt that out so carelessly.

"They're... back!?" I managed to squeak. He nodded, watching my face warily.

Jacob was right. This _was_ worse. This wasn't bad... This was a disaster for me! What was I going to do? Why were they back? "Are they... Are they all here? All of them?" I tried not to sound too hopeful.

Jacob seemed to know that I wasn't asking about all of them, but one of them specifically. "Unfortunately. They're all back, even-" Jacob shook his head disgustedly, surreptitiously checking to make sure I was okay. "The nerve of him. Can't believe he would come back." Jacob looked down at me again I must've been hyperventilating, because he suddenly looked very concerned.

"Hey, Bella, don't be like that. We won't let them hurt you or make you do anything you don't want to do," Jacob reassured worriedly. He gently took me over to the bed and sat me down.

"I know," I gasped, clinging to Jacob helplessly. My fingers dug into his abnormally warm skin.

I knew I was okay. _They_ wouldn't hurt me.

But why had they come back? After all this time...

Maybe they had just decided to come back and live here again. I was the one that had kicked them out of town. They had been here long before I had decided to move to Forks to live with my dad. Who was I to tell them that they shouldn't live here any longer? I shook my head. Another thing I hadn't thought about before when I had told Edward that I was going to leave him. But this didn't sound right...

What else could make them come back?

Alice.

Alice must've seen something. But what? And even this was a long shot, because she couldn't see anything that had to do with the werewolves. So she wouldn't have been able to see me.

Then again, Aro, the head of the Volturi, had said that Alice's powers would probably grow stronger over time. Hadn't he?

So if she could see me... Well, that wasn't the question. The question was, what had she seen?

"I'm sorry that you had to find out this way," Jacob apologized contritely, interrupting the turmoil of thoughts whirling around in my head. "It was either this, or having him show up at the door unexpected. I thought you might prefer it this way."

"Edward's not allowed to be on the La Push reservation," I said quietly. Jacob looked taken aback that I had used his name. But why shouldn't I? He was back. I couldn't very well call Edward "_he_" if I did choose to see him again, could I? Might as well get used to it.

"That's true. But you never know with that one," Jacob warned. I barely heard him. What was the whole family doing back? I could understand if only Alice came back. She would just want to check up on me, especially if she saw me doing something stupid, like the last time. And especially Edward. I had hurt him so much. Was it possible he would still want to take me back?

I shook that thought from my head. I was here with Jacob. It was time to live in the _now_, and not be too concerned with what had happened in the _past._ But that wasn't true, either. This was as if... This was as if they had come back _from_ the past.

I shook my head ruefully. This was all too much to take in, and it didn't seem as if Jacob had any answers.

"How did you find out?" I thought that this might take my mind off from the other things that worried me so much.

"Sam was out on his rounds, and immediately rushed to find me. Of course, the rest of us noticed something was wrong and we all got together. And, well, there they were. Pacing right on the line." Jacob shook his head, almost admiringly.

We were silent for a few minutes before I couldn't stand it any longer.

"You didn't, er, you didn't happen to speak to any of them, did you?" I blurted out, somewhat hopefully. I had to ask.

Jacob looked at me closely before answering. "I spoke to the head blo-" He caught himself. "I spoke to Carlisle. He seemed to regret that he couldn't tell me anything, just to keep a close watch on you." He looked at me curiously before continuing, "He seemed to be insinuating that you might do something ridiculously dumb, which I don't blame him for." Jacob gave me a half-smile.

"Ha-ha," I muttered humorlessly. I had finally calmed down. "That sounds more like something _Emmett _would say."

"Oh, it might have been Emmett. There was another one of them behind Carlisle, the big one."

"That's Emmett alright."

"They also told me not to tell you that they were here. Thought you might overreact, like you usually do. But I thought you of all people deserved to know. And you know the rest." Jacob's eyes crinkled in amusement. I thought about that for a moment.

"We'll play it the Cullens' way. We'll watch and wait for it all to play out," I decided, entwining my fingers with Jacob's. "In the meantime, we've got dinner to prepare."

**Authoress' Note**** (UPDATED): First of all, I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. I've gotten a few notes of things that are probably improbable and contradict the actual story. THANK YOU for pointing those out to me. xD I fix the parts that are wrong in the chapters and put them up again. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/16/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and not many people may even be interested in this. ****I have gotten a few offers for Beta, but if it's not too much to ask, I am hoping for somebody that knows how to use the Reviewing Toolbar on Word. (: Not a requirement, but it would be preferable. ****A beta is basically an editor for a story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far. (HOLD ON guys, and STAY TUNED, EDWARD IS COMING!)  
**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. **

**Lastly, I update as soon as I can. I'm sorry if that's not soon enough for you, but I do not enjoy being pressured to write. x) Thanks!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 007**

The doorbell rang.

Ever since my conversation with Jacob about how the Cullens had come back, which had been almost two weeks ago, my heart always seemed to stop whenever the doorbell rang. Then I would just mentally smack myself for being silly, since the Cullens were **NOT** allowed on the La Push reservation, like I had told Jacob. Just me being silly, as usual. I sighed miserably. How long would this have to go on before one of them actually decided to show up at the door?

"Oh!" I gasped upon opening the door. "Hi!"

"Hi Bella," A deep voice chuckled. "May I come in?"

"Of course, Sam! I wasn't expecting you," I explained, opening the door wider to let him in.

"If you don't mind me asking, who were you expecting?" Sam inquired smoothly, stepping in and removing his shoes.

"I actually don't know," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "Kids! Come say hi to Sam!"

"Hi Sam!" Two voices chorused from the living room. I rolled my eyes, and smiled weakly at Sam.

"I keep meaning to limit their TV watching," I said, gesturing toward an empty chair. "So what brings you to our humble abode?"

Sam's smile immediately vanished and was replaced with an expression of sorrow. "Bella. I need to speak to you about Jacob." His voice had quieted to a hush. I put on a poker face and sat down tensely in another seat.

"What's going on between Jacob and me is between Jacob and me," I said firmly. Sam shook his head regretfully.

"I was afraid you'd say that. It's not just that, I'm sorry to say." He paused. "Jacob is in pain." I opened my mouth to protest, but he put up a finger. "Let me finish. I know Jacob hasn't shown it to you because he's trying to be strong, but he really is hurting. We-" Sam switched to the pack plural. "We all feel it, and can't help but feel helpless. You know we all love you, Bella, and we think you're wonderful and great for Jacob. But you don't know how it feels to be imprinted. It's a very difficult level of commitment to resist. Try to see it from his point of view."

I thought about that quietly for a moment. Of course I'd thought of it, but once again, I had been selfish. I had tried very hard not to think of Jacob as being imprinted, Jacob belonging to someone else.

"I don't know what to say, Sam," I finally muttered. Sam, realizing that I wasn't going to kick him out of the house, eagerly continued.

"Just imagine, Bella. Jacob's imprinting is like... Is like the commitment and love between Emily and I. Surely you must recognize it."

"Stop, Sam." I shook my head, resisting the urge to clap my hands over my ears. "I can't listen to this."

"Bella, you have to," He said gently. "You're hurting Jacob, don't you see? Jacob is like a younger brother to me. I can't stand to see him hurt, not when his pain is so tangible to me. You know how Jacob is. He's a wonderful husband, and he takes care of you very well."

"So what do you want me to do?" I exploded. "You think I don't care about Jacob either? Is that what you're saying? Because you are absolutely wrong! I care about Jacob. I _love_ Jacob, for goodness sake's! I'm married to him! I want the best for him. But if I let him have what he thinks is best for him, then what will become of me? Am I just to be cast aside, like an old toy nobody wants!?"

It was Sam's turn to be quiet for the moment. It was clear that he hadn't thought about what would become of me, if, well, plainly put, if I left Jacob. I shuddered at the thought. It was time for me to acknowledge that that thought could very well turn into reality.

"You could stay on the La Push reservation," Sam finally suggested. I barked out a laugh.

"Sure, and do what, exactly, Sam? Visit the kids?" I said scornfully. "I don't have a job, Sam. I have kids. How will I support myself? What will I do? Waste my life away as I watch Jacob and _Victoria_ enjoy _their_ carefree lives? Is that what you're asking me to do?"

"Of course not-" Sam started, starting to look a little panicked.

"Well that's what it sounds like! You say Jacob is hurting. Did you ever think of me? Do you think it's not hurting me as well? What do you think everyone else on the reservation will think? Never mind everyone else, what will the kids think? What will they do?" I was shouting. The pent-up anger inside me was finally getting to be too much. "All I hear you say is Jacob this, Jacob that, what's best for Jacob, and what I should do. So Jacob does nothing? You, Sam Uley, know _nothing_ about the pain I feel!" Immediately as I said it, I wanted to take it back. That was the most horrible, untrue thing that I could say to him. Sam had noisily sucked in a breath, and we were now sitting in the most horrific, awkward silence ever.

"I don't know the pain you feel? Is that what you said? Well, I can see that my advice is unwanted here," Sam said coldly. He rose, turning to walk out. Anything else he could have said might have calmed me down, but this proceeded to anger me further.

"You don't. You're like Jacob." I continued angrily, "You imprinted upon another girl. You know who would know the pain I feel? _Leah._ Leah Clearwater." I knew that was a low blow, but I couldn't stand it any longer. It _hurt_. This was almost as bad as when... as when... Well, it was definitely one of the worst things that had happened to me in a while.

Sam paused and looked back at me with the most devastated expression. Guilt flooded through me as I saw the flash of pain through his eyes, and I imagined the torture that he had gone through. Sam had been with Leah before, and then Sam was suddenly with Emily, Leah's cousin. That must've hurt Leah, as well as Sam, more than anyone could imagine. I felt terrible. I never imagined that I would ever become a person that would attack another person's, a friend's, weaknesses.

Sam promptly whirled on his feet and strode very quickly to the door.

"Sam, wait." I reached out weakly, meaning to apologize. He stopped, halfway out the door.

"I'm not the one who's waiting, Bella. Jacob is," Sam said remorsefully, staring up at the sky. This struck me hard.

"He's... waiting for me?" I asked, almost inaudibly. Sam nodded slowly.

"He's waiting for you to let him go, Bella," Sam answered softly. "I wouldn't make him wait too long, though. He might go and do something reckless. You know how well-known he is for doing that. You two were always-" Sam stopped himself. "I better go now, Bella. Just think about it."

"I-"

"Hey, be a little thankful too. At least you're not a werewolf." Sam smiled somewhat bitterly at me, then turned and vanished. I scrambled up out of my seat and raced to the door, but he was already gone.

I returned to the kitchen and sank down heavily in a seat, putting my head in my hands. How had that conversation ended so horribly? Oh wait. It was my fault. Obviously. It was because I was stupid and selfish. But what else could I do? I couldn't think anymore.

"Hey Mikey," I whispered, hugging the little boy to my chest. His eyes were still glued to the T.V.

"Hi Mom," He answered robotically. "What's wrong? I heard Sam shouting atcha over there." I sighed.

"Sam wasn't shouting at me. We were having an um... a very civilized discussion, sweetie," I fibbed a bit.

"Oh. Sounded like a shouting match to me," Mike said cheerfully. I pinched his cheek playfully.

"Adults don't have 'shouting matches', mister. We speak calmly and when one of us disagrees about a topic, we compromise," I said.

"Mom. Stop lying. It was a shouting match." Mike turned to look at me sternly. I laughed at his cute little face.

"Fine, fine, have it your way, it was a shouting match," I resigned. Mike turned back to the T.V., satisfied.

I continued to stare at him, frowning. If this situation got out of hand and tension began to escalate, someone would get hurt. And I could not let Mike and Jake get hurt because of what was going on. I would have to be more careful so that I could protect the ones I loved. Even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness.

I climbed the stairs wearily, my feet dragging across the steps. I sat on the bed and leaned down to pull out the scrapbook I had hidden a few weeks ago. Looking through, I noticed I only had a few pictures and remembered how I had been self-conscious about taking pictures. I chuckled, peering at each of the pictures that held so many memories.

"Wonder how he's doing now," I mused aloud, turning back to the first page. Edward had his arm around me, but our smiles didn't seem to reach our eyes. Were we even happy back then?

"Of course we were. We were happy every single waking moment we spent together. Then Jacob... Jacob turned into a werewolf and everything got complicated. I made some poor decisions and now here I am, finding out that another of my spectacular decisions has gone wrong," I muttered to myself.

Two pieces of paper suddenly fell out and fluttered to the floor. Surprised, I bent down, examining them further. It was two plane tickets that had never been used, dated a few years back. I smiled, remembering. It had been a birthday present for me, to go visit my mother with Edward. I remember thinking that she would have thought him terribly dashing, even though she was married to Phil.

"Mothers," I muttered. I shook my head, chuckling. Then I stiffened, remembering that I was one as well.

And that made me remember that I was also a wife.

But above all, I was a woman.

And I deserved to be treated right. I needed the respect I reserved, and right now, I wasn't getting any. People came into my house, trying to convince me to do things that I did not want to do, and they did not respect the decisions I was choosing to make. Over the past few years, I may have grown softer and more relaxed, but I refuse to become completely spineless. Granted, I did tend to lose control of my temper sometimes, but honestly, who wouldn't in a situation like this? I was going to make the decisions because I _wanted_ to, not because someone else tells me to, or because it might be the best thing for me. Who would know what's best for me better than I would?

I contemplated the decisions I could make, assessing the situation. It seemed as if I had been backed into a corner, since every decision I could think would always end up hurting someone in the end. I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. It was back to the same question I had asked myself so many years ago: Who would I be willing to hurt more?

"Bella, I'm home! Where are you?" Jacob's voice echoed up the stairs, and immediately, I threw the tickets in the book and snapped it shut, shoving it quickly under the bed. I stood up straight, suddenly decided. Jacob wouldn't approve, but it's not like he had openly told me about Victoria. Anyways, this was my decision and my decision alone.

I was going to visit the Cullens. One of the Cullens, specifically.

**SPECIAL Preview of Chapter 008!**

**Important information below. (:**

Okay, so, I decided that you readers have been pretty patient. (Yes, I do _occasionally_ get those reviews begging for Edward to hurry up and show. ;P) I'd like you to understand why it's taking him so long to come into the story. Understand that I had only originally planned up to Jacob being imprinted, and then for Edward to come back. Then after that, I completely drew a blank and had no good ideas. I figured I better go with the flow, and just get my ideas on paper first. So now, it's going to be a little harder for me to write because I know what's going to happen as well as you guys. If you'd like to send me your ideas via PM, they'd much be appreciated, but I might not use each one. I'd like for this story to at least go to chapter 15, but I'm not sure that's possible with the way I'm speeding through everything, ha. xD With that said, (sorry for my terrific little rant) here's a small preview of Chapter 008. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 008 : Preview ;;**

"Bella!" Esme immediately enveloped me in her arms. Though her arms were cold, her embrace was warm and affectionate. She pulled away to take a good look at me, then pulled in me again. Helplessly, I wrapped my arms around her as well and waited for her to let go, smiling weakly.

Honestly, I was stunned at her reaction. I had expected her to treat me coldly and uncaringly. After all, I was the one that had broken her "son's" heart. But I guess that was against her motherly nature, and for that I was glad. I didn't want any of the Cullens to be angry with me.

"Hey Bella!" Alice yelled happily, throwing her arms around me as well. Now I was having my lungs crushed, as well as being turned into a frozen popsicle.

"I... can't... breathe, Alice!" I gasped, laughing. They both refused to let go, and I gestured helplessly and Jasper, who was looking on with a small smile playing at his lips.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you!" Alice gushed. "Even I was surprised, you know, getting so attached to a human and all. But I'm glad to see you safe and sound, you must be happy with Jacob, right? Yeah, if he weren't a werewolf we wouldn't have minded him either, though Edward-" Alice bit her lip and stopped, glancing frantically at my face. I carefully masked my emotions and motioned for her to continue.

"Though Edward might've ripped his throat out, but that's okay," Alice continued, "As long as you're happy, he didn't mind... As much. But you know how he gets. Anyways, I've been pretty busy as well over the past few years-"

I knew I would feel bad for cutting her off, but I did anyways. "Where's Edward, Alice?"

Alice looked bemused, unsurprised that I had interrupted her. "Edward? I was wondering when you'd ask." She smiled wryly at me.

**And that's where I'll leave you, my lovely readers. (;**

**Authoress' Note**** (UPDATED): First of all, I do not own any of the books or characters by Stephenie Meyer. They are the sole property of her alone, and I am merely writing a fanfiction.**

**Secondly, I realize that my writing is imperfect. I've gotten a few notes of things that are probably improbable and contradict the actual story. THANK YOU for pointing those out to me. xD I fix the parts that are wrong in the chapters and put them up again. As of right now, I do not have a Beta (1/18/08), but if you are interested, you can message me or leave a note on a review saying you would like to Beta. Whatever is easiest for you. (: I do reserve the right not to choose anyone at all, and not many people may even be interested in this. I have gotten a few offers for Beta, but if it's not too much to ask, I am hoping for somebody that knows how to use the Reviewing Toolbar on Word. (: Not a requirement, but it would be preferable. A beta is basically an editor for a story. Anyways, if you are reading this, I do hope you enjoy my story thus far. (HOLD ON guys, and STAY TUNED, EDWARD IS COMING!)**

**Thirdly, reviews and constructive criticism are GREATLY appreciated. Even if it's just a small note saying you liked my story, that is better than nothing. **

**Lastly, I update as soon as I can. I'm sorry if that's not soon enough for you, but I do not enjoy being pressured to write. x) Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 008**

**A/N: please read my homepage. (: Enjoy!**

**A/N#2: Since some of you seem to choose to ignore my note, I'll have to post it here. :P  
IF YOU HAVE READ MY STORY, please leave a review. I'd like a head count on how many have/are actually reading my story. (: One word reviews are just fine.  
Also, I have found a Beta, thank you for everyone that applied/notified me. (: He happens to be a good friend of mine, and he's doing a good job so far (teehee). And sorry this chapter is so bad, I really don't like it, and I really don't like chapter 9 either, but I guess you'll have to read and find out.  
**

I nervously tried to start the car. It stuttered and then died.

_Well, maybe I won't have to go now._

The car suddenly roared to life, as soon as I turned the key. "I guess I spoke too soon," I muttered apprehensively. It was as if the car _wanted_ me to go, and that did not feel very comforting to me.

After spending hours trying to figure out what to wear, I still decided to wear a pair of fitting jeans and a dark blue blouse. Honestly, what were you supposed to wear to go meet your ex-vampire boyfriend and his family? Especially if you were the one that broke up with him?

Shaking my head, I sighed. Little Mike and Jake were with Emily and Sam, who appeared to approve wholeheartedly of my plan. He obviously tried very hard not to show it so that I wouldn't be scared off. I saw through it easily, since he couldn't hide his excitement very well and was constantly trying to shoo me out of the house so that "I wouldn't be late". For obvious reasons, we had "forgotten" to notify Jacob of where I would be going.

I sighed. They- the Cullens, that is, were probably going to eat me alive when I stepped into their home. I silently drove to their house, absorbed in my own thoughts.

_What happens if they just turn me away from their home? Or will they just pretend they're not home? Maybe Alice didn't see anything after all... Maybe I'm just being paranoid over this whole, sticky situation. They're all going to hate me, if they don't already. Why am I going to visit them in the first place? Why did I let Sam convince me...?_

Blinking my eyes, I realized I was right in front of the Cullens' home. _How did I get here?_

Sighing I slowly got out of the car and walked to the front door. Before I could knock, the door was flung open. _Freaking Alice._

"Bella!" Esme immediately enveloped me in her arms. Though her arms were cold, her embrace was warm and affectionate. She pulled away to take a good look at me, then pulled in me again. Helplessly, I wrapped my arms around her as well and waited for her to let go, smiling weakly at the vampires that looked just as shocked.

Frankly, I was stunned at her reaction. I had expected her to treat me coldly and uncaringly. After all, I was the one that had broken her "son's" heart. But I guess that was against her motherly nature, and for that I was glad. I didn't want any of the Cullens to be angry with me.

"Hey Bella!" Alice yelled happily, throwing her arms around me as well. Now I was having my lungs crushed, as well as being turned into a frozen popsicle. My jaw dropped open and I'd probably have to call a tow truck to haul it back up. I hadn't been expecting this!

"I... can't... breathe, Alice!" I gasped, laughing. They both refused to let go, and I gestured helplessly at Jasper, who was looking on with a small smile playing at his lips.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you!" Alice gushed. "Even I was surprised, you know, getting so attached to a human and all. But I'm glad to see you safe and sound, you must be happy with Jacob, right? Yeah, if he weren't a werewolf we wouldn't have minded him either, though Edward-" Alice bit her lip and stopped, glancing frantically at my face. I carefully masked my emotions and motioned for her to continue.

"Though Edward might've ripped his throat out, but that's okay," Alice continued, "As long as you're happy, he didn't mind... As much. But you know how he gets. Anyways, I've been pretty busy as well over the past few years-"

I knew I would feel bad for cutting her off, but I did anyways. "Where's Edward, Alice?"

Alice looked bemused, unsurprised that I had interrupted her. "Edward? I was wondering when you'd ask." She smiled wryly at me.

"Hello, Bella." A voice I would've known from anywhere sounded behind me, and I whirled around.

I was stunned, at first. A part of me always believed that he would get over me and move on. That he would never come back. As the initial shock of seeing him wore off, a wave of relief washed over me. He was here. Standing right in front of me. Alive and in one piece, as I had always hoped, though I had always tried to tell myself I didn't care about him anymore. After six years, I still cared for him. Even harder to admit, I still loved him. When had I ever stopped?

Edward, obviously, had not changed. His liquid gold eyes looked warmer than ever, and his bronze hair was tousled. He wore a black sweater that happened to show off his chiseled chest and casual blue jeans. His face betrayed absolutely no emotion, and I blushed when his eyes caught mine. They softened and my head spun dizzily.

"Edward!" I whispered, stumbling forward. Then I ran to him, attracted as if we were two magnets. He caught me with his strong arms as I came barreling into his chest. "I missed you."

Just three words. Three small words, and Edward's barriers came tumbling down. His face lit up with exuberance and joy as he crushed me to his chest.

"You have no idea," Edward whispered, "How _happy_ I feel right now. Just holding you. Just _seeing_ you here, standing in front of me. It's as if I had never felt any pain at all. And all of the suffering I've gone through... It's all been washed away by you."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Tears were streaming down my face, and I wrapped my arms around him, not bothering to wipe them away.

The rest of the family had somehow slipped away into the shadows, leaving Edward and me alone. Not completely alone, though. We were together.

_How could something this wrong... Feel so completely right?_ I thought to myself miserably. Even though it didn't seem like it anymore, Jacob and I were still married. But here I was; standing in front of another person I truly loved. Another man I loved. Right then and there, I knew what I had to do.

"Tell me what you're thinking," He breathed, cupping my chin and tilting my head up. He carefully brushed away the tears on my face with his thumbs, scrutinizing me closely. I could tell he was still being careful with me though. He seemed to be holding himself back.

I shook my head regretfully. I couldn't lie to Edward, that much I still knew. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's about... Well, it's about him." I almost laughed. Now I was referring to Jacob as "_him_".

"Tell me. As long as it's coming from you, you can tell me anything," Edward looked into my eyes sincerely.

I laughed, and gazed up at his beautiful face. "Well, I was just thinking of how guilty I'll feel when I go back to Jacob, because well... we're married and all, but here I am. With you."

"Is that a good thing?" Edward murmured against my neck. He dropped kisses every so often and I found it extremely difficult to form a coherent thought, and I smiled. It was almost as if it was back to the old days.

"I think... Yes, it is," I managed to say. My heart was pounding in my chest and I blushed, knowing Edward could hear it. He lifted his head up and smirked at me, and I drank in the sight of his face.

"I missed that sound," He remarked calmly, and I blushed even harder. "So, tell me how you've been these... past few years." He frowned, and I figured that these "past few years" had brought him a lot of pain. I quietly sighed with guilt, knowing that I had probably caused all of it.

I paused. How much did he know? "Well," I stalled, "My twins are now four-"

Edward's grip tightened on me and I started to protest. "Kids?" He asked flatly, trying hard not to let his anger show.

Oops. Of course Alice couldn't see that I had kids! They were kids of a _werewolf_. I mentally smacked myself in the forehead. I hadn't even finished one full sentence and everyone was overreacting!

"YOU HAVE KIDS!?" Alice screeched, flying down the stairs and halting within in inch from my nose.

"Uh... Yes?" I answered fearfully, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Alice glared at me, planting her hands on her hips and shaking her head in a very threatening way. Her eyes had narrowed to slits, and I cowered in Edward's arms, who seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh.

"When's their next birthday?" Alice demanded, still glaring at me.

"They're twins, Alice, their birthdays are the same. January 11th," I mumbled, eyeing Alice apprehensively. She smiled briefly.

"A winter birthday. That's nice," Alice commented to herself. "I can't believe I missed planning your baby shower! That's extremely inconsiderate of you! Well, I'm going to have to make that up, because I'm planning the next birthday for your kids. Names? How old are they now? Boy or girl? I hope you have a girl-"

"Sorry Alice, they're both boys. Mike and Jake, and they're four."

Alice frowned at me, seeming to dislike the name choices as well as the fact that they were both boys. "Mike and Jake... Pfft. How come you didn't name one of them 'Edward'?" Edward looked pained.

"Well, you know how Jacob feels about Edward."

"They're _your_ kids too, Bella."

"We decide everything _together_, Alice." Besides, it had still hurt too much for me to think about Edward back then, I silently added.

Alice pursed her lips. "I guess those names will do... For now."

"You can't make my kids change their names! That's ridiculous!" I objected, hoping she was kidding. Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Or can I?"

I sighed. "That's Alice for you," Edward muttered in my ear, still holding me very close. She turned to glare at a smirking Edward.

"Alright Alice, why don't you go plan their birthday party? It's only about five months away," Edward said mockingly, waving his hand at her. Alice closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again and smiled. Alice's eyes were twinkling with mischief, and I twisted around to see Edward's face, who was grimacing at her. I figured she must've seen or told Edward something he did not really want to hear.

Alice turned and danced away. "Don't mind if I do," She muttered, peering over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at Edward.

He sighed, and then looked down at me with a half-smile. "So where were we?" He questioned.

"Like you don't know." I rolled my eyes at him playfully. I stared into Edward's endless eyes; for how long, I did not know. We stood silently like that for a while, arms around each other. Finally, my stomach grumbled and I looked away, embarrassed.

"Let's go to my room. There's food, and well... we have a lot of catching up to do."


	9. Chapter 9 - Rework

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 009 - Edited version! 6/21/2013**

Edward carried me up to his room, as fast as his supernatural speed would allow him. I could tell he was very excited.

"What's with the rush?" I asked him playfully once we stepped foot into the room.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're here." Edward glanced at me slyly, and I burst into laughter.

"You're hiding something, I know it!" I teased. Edward struggled to keep the smile on his face.

"Come on, you're hungry and I have food." He walked over to a refrigerator that had not been there before, and flung open the door. My jaw dropped. It looked like he had bought out the whole supermarket.

"Ed-Edward..." I stuttered with my eyes glued to the refrigerator. "Are you expecting anyone else?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know what you liked to eat after all these years. So I got a little of everything."

He could have asked me to eat _liver_, and I would've eaten it if it meant I could be with him!

"Okay, that makes sense, but don't you think this is a little _over the top!?_"

Food was practically spilling out of the refrigerator, and if Edward hadn't strategically organized the fridge, there probably would've been food all over the ground. There were more than enough drinks, including soft drinks, Vitamin Water, bottled water, juice, etc. There was bread, eggs, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, microwavable dinners, spaghetti, chicken, and more. I was surprised the refrigerator could fit that much.

"So what do you want?" Edward said cheerfully, plugging in a microwave that he had _happened_ to be standing in front of. My eyes widened.

"Don't tell me you even bought a microwave," I groaned, smacking my head against my forehead. "You don't even _eat_ real food! When are you going to find a use for a microwave?"

Edward's face turned expressionless. "Well, according to Alice," Edward started.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," I half-laughed, shaking my head, knowing exactly where he was going. "Absolutely not."

"Alice seems to think so," Edward said, quite smugly. I wanted to smack the smug smirk off his face.

"There is absolutely NO way," I began firmly, staring directly into his eyes, "That I am moving in with you. Ever." His face contorted itself into a devastated pout and I tried not to smile at the ridiculous face he was making.

"Why not?" He asked, running over to knock my legs out from under me and scoop me up into his arms.

"Edward!" I shrieked, startled. He jumped onto the bed, careful to make sure that I didn't hit anything besides the soft, bouncy covers of the bed.

"You don't like the bed? Or maybe the food isn't good enough for you?" Edward asked playfully, running over to the fridge and picking up an egg, which he promptly threw at me. Before I could even get my hands up, he had zipped in front of me and caught it, winking at me. I smiled reluctantly.

"Do you not like the microwave?" He grabbed a T.V. dinner with stunning speed and threw it inside, quickly pressing the buttons and setting the timer.

"Aren't you supposed to remove-" I started to question, but he showed me the box he had hidden behind his back, and my words stuck in my throat. I hadn't even _seen_ him open the box, let alone remove the tray!

"Or maybe you don't like the new dresser we got, just for you." He opened the drawers all at once and my jaw dropped for what seemed to be the third time in ten minutes.

All the drawers had been filled with clothes. Specifically, _women's_ clothes.

"Or is it the new wardrobe Alice bought you?" Edward scanned my face triumphantly. _New... wardrobe!?_

"Alice must've had fun picking out all of that," I managed to say, still in disbelief. Edward chuckled, and I thought of something odd.

"Since when have you trusted Alice's vision so much?" I asked suspiciously, raising my eyebrows at him. He automatically glanced away, and when he looked back, his eyes held so much pain that all I wanted to do was go over and comfort him.

"Since she told me that you were leaving... me," Edward whispered lowly, but just loud enough for me to hear. I opened my mouth to say something, but fell silent. What could I say?

"I'm... sorry." I knew 'sorry' would never be able to make up for it, but at this point, there was really nothing else I could say that would really take away his pain.

"Did you ever regret doing it?"

This question caught me off-guard. I hadn't ever thought about it before. Did I really regret choosing Jacob over Edward? Well, this could have gone both ways. If I had chosen Edward, I would've given up a whole other life. But since I had chosen Jacob, I had also given up another life that I could've had. Now, if I chose Edward again, I would get a second chance. Was I willing to give up the life I had chosen with Jacob?

I shook my head, disgusted at myself. I was speaking of Edward and Jacob as if they were two _prizes_. Edward watched me curiously, and I realized he was still waiting for my response.

"Well... I guess sometimes I regret my decision. Like now, for instance. Jacob has imprinted upon someone else, and I suppose the better choice at that point in time would have been for me to choose... you. But I could never have known that this would happen, so I don't really know the extent of how much I regret it," I finally said, after several minutes of contemplation. Edward didn't look the least surprised at the fact that Jacob had been imprinted.

"'I'll always be waiting in the wings,'" Edward quoted, half-smiling. "I guess it paid off."

I nodded, unable to say anything. The microwave started beeping, and Edward glanced over.

"It's done, still hungry?" His eyes held mine, and I felt a different kind of hunger.

"Yes, actually." I smiled brightly, trying to keep my blushing from spreading to my cheeks. Edward brought the T.V. dinner over to the bed, as well as a fork.

"I really have missed this color," Edward remarked unexpectedly, reaching over to stroke my cheek. His fingertips left icy trails, but I still felt inexplicably warm. I stopped chewing, the fork halfway to my mouth. "What?"

"Nothing." I shoved the chicken and rice into my mouth hurriedly. How could he not know the effect he still had on me? I shook my head, smiling to myself.

"It's interesting watching you eat," Edward commented, eying the tray in my hand with what seemed to be contempt. He rested his chin in his hands and continued to watch me. I swallowed the food that I had been chewing.

"How so?" I inquired self-consciously, spearing another piece of chicken.

"Well, for starters," Edward looked disdainfully at the piece of chicken dangling off my fork. "It's _dead._"

I started choking and Edward had to whack my back a few times before my wind pipe cleared. Then I started laughing.

"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, what was so funny? I thought that was a well-justified reason," Edward asked, faking anger. I rolled my eyes at his ignorance.

"Yeah, it would be a good reason. If I wasn't _human._"

"Point taken," Edward admitted grudgingly. I patted his shoulder affectionately.

"Don't worry, we won't have any disagreements on food sooner or later. Hopefully sooner," I joked. Edward's expression darkened.

"We are not talking about this right now." I shoved another forkful of food into my mouth and nodded weakly.

"So, about you staying over..." I shook my head frantically, still chewing furiously.

I swallowed. "Not tonight," I cautioned, but Edward's face still lit up.

"But you're saying some day you will, right?" He said, excitement barely contained in his voice.

"Yes, probably some day," I sighed resignedly, fighting to keep the smile off my face. Edward suddenly leaned over to press his cold lips to mine. Shocked, I almost dropped the tray I was holding, but Edward tugged it effortlessly from my hands and set it down on the bedside table.

There were no words to describe the way I felt at that moment. Edward's hands softly rested on my back, sending chills up and down my spine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and wound my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me. This kiss was much more careful than the ones I had with Jacob, but I didn't mind. Time seemed to stop as we kissed, and nothing else in the world mattered. Not Alice, not the Volturi, not Victoria, not Jacob- wait _Jacob!?_

"Oh crap!" I mumbled, pulling myself away from Edward with much difficulty. Somehow, I had ended up lying flat on my back, and I shot up anxiously. "What time is it?" Edward seemed annoyed that I had pulled away.

"It's just 4:00. 3:57 specifically," Edward read from the clock across his room. I lay back down, breathing hard. "Why?"

"Just wondering if Jacob got back yet," I mumbled carelessly. Then I turned to look at Edward with a horrified expression. He leaned down to press his lips to mine, then moved his face up and down my neck.

"Do you still remember him?" Edward whispered in my ear, nibbling it gently. I felt my heart rate accelerate even faster than I thought was possible.

"Yes, Jacob... will... be back soon," I mumbled quietly, trying to think.

"How about now?" Edward pressed his lips to mine for what seemed to be an eternity.

"This isn't fair, Edward, I'm being completely serious!" I gasped, struggling to remember why I was opposing him. Something about Jacob...

He rolled on top of me, careful to keep his weight from crushing me, and dropped one, two, three kisses onto my lips.

"Jacob who?" I whispered back, giving up. I snaked my arms around his neck and pulled his face to mine, unable to resist. He chuckled before kissing me again.

It felt too good for me to want to stop, and I knew I would have plenty to feel guilty about when I returned to the La Push reservation. Suddenly, Edward pulled away.

"I wasn't done yet," I complained, trying to pull him back to me. He smirked and shook his hair out of his eyes, and I almost fainted right there and then. He was beautiful, gorgeous; a guy any girl would kill to have. He could be a model or actor, and be perfect at any thing he did. Yet he had chosen to love me, and he had chosen to stay by me. That alone, left me in wonder.

"I have a surprise for you," He whispered, inhaling the scent emanating from my throat. "Intoxicating as ever, by the way."

"Surprise?" I muttered crankily, ignoring his compliment. "You know I hated surprises. As a matter of fact, I still do. Just tell me what it is. C'mon, tell me what it is. I refuse to guess. Please?" Edward's eyes crinkled in amusement as I continued to try and coax him. "Please? I'll um... let Alice plan my kids' birthday party?" He shook his head.

"She's already doing that, you know."

"So!? How about I let her plan the next one too?" Edward shook his head again and swooped in to kiss me. "I didn't say you could kiss me."

"Did you?" Edward pecked me on the lips again.

"No. Not until you tell me," I said stubbornly, turning my face away. Edward immediately vanished. "Edward!? Where are you going?"

"I don't have permission to kiss you, and if I don't have permission to kiss you, then I might as well stay away from you altogether," Edward's muffled voice came from somewhere around the room. I scanned the room anxiously, but I couldn't find him.

"Aw, come out, that's not playing fair!"

"It isn't?"

I didn't answer for a few minutes. "Fine, you have permission to kiss me," I grumbled, and before I even finished my sentence, Edward had reappeared and was kissing me earnestly. I knew how hard it was for him to be careful around me, so I tried to stay as still as I could, even though every fiber in my being was screaming at me to pull him to me as tight as I could and to just kiss him back. Finally, I had to pull away, gasping. He might not need to breathe, but lack of oxygen for a human would prove fatal.

"Will you tell me now?" I smiled a little, hopefully.

He smiled mysteriously, and I knew I wouldn't be getting it out of him anytime soon. "What do I have to do?" I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Now that's a good question. Do you really want to hear the answer?"

"Anything," I answered emphatically. I knew I had spoken too quickly, because a mischievous glint danced in Edward's eyes.

"Come be with me, and you'll find out then."


	10. Chapter 10

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 010**

**A/N: **This chapter is _rather_ long, so don't be expecting another chapter for a few days, to up to a week. I'm being flooded with work. D: I barely started Chapter 11, which is kinda freaking me out, because I'm usually 1-2 chapters ahead of this story. (: But thought that I'd put this one out quickly after the last chapter for all you faithful readers. Thanks! Keep reviewing. **(:  
**

I slid into the car seat, still grumbling about how Edward had refused to tell me his _surprise_. "It better not be dumb," I had warned, before leaving the house. He just laughed and kissed me before shooing me out the door. "I'll see you soon," I promised him. He grinned and nodded, tapping his head smartly.

Even as I was driving home, back to the La Push reservation, I still had butterflies in my stomach. Unfortunately, it wasn't just my stomach that had been affected. Every part of me yearned to be back in Edward's arms, and I fought against it diligently, gritting my teeth.

You're married to Jacob! _Jacob!_ I scolded myself, shaking my head slowly, still concentrating on driving. Surprisingly, there weren't very many cars on the road so I didn't have to pay much attention. _It's not like Jacob didn't sneak out to meet Victoria before,_ a voice said in the back of my head. _But he was strong enough to tell her to leave him alone._

Finally, I reached my house and realized my kids were still at Sam's house. "Ugh," I groaned, "I'll just go inside and grab my cell phone." I left the car running and ran inside, still absorbed in my thoughts.

"Bella!" Someone yelled. I screamed and missed a step; my knee collided with the stairs before I regained my balance. I winced in pain.

"Who is it?" My voice shook the tiniest bit and I tried to bury the fear that was quickly rising in me.

The intruder laughed and I slowly climbed back down the stairs. "Silly Bella, it's Leah. Leah Clearwater." I breathed a sigh of relief, one hand to my heart.

"You scared me senseless!" I laughed, hugging her warmly. "What brings you here?"

Leah shrugged and smiled. "I took your kids home from Emily and Sam's. They were running around all day so they're all tired out now, and napping upstairs. I figured I'd wait for you because I wanted to talk to you." Her smile slipped slightly, but then she smiled widely again, wrinkling her nose a bit.

"Talk to me?" I asked warily, too preoccupied to ask why she was wrinkling her nose. "About what?"

"Jacob, of course."

I fumed. On the outside, I was keeping a happy façade, but on the inside, I was groaning. Why did everything seem to revolve around what was happening between Jacob and me?

"Well, what about him?" I tried to keep myself from snapping at Leah. It wasn't her fault, after all. She probably knew more about it than I did.

"About his imprinting." Leah studied my expression closely, most likely making sure I wouldn't explode in anger at her. She seemed to sense that I didn't really want to talk about Jacob at the moment.

"Oh." We didn't say anything for a few minutes, and I didn't feel like offering up any information. She would know everything, anyways.

"How do you feel about it?" Leah asked softly, breaking the silence. I let out a breath I had been unknowingly been holding.

"It hurts," I whispered to her. We sat in silence again, and I was beginning to feel the guilt seeping into me. Was going to Edward's house really what I should have done?

"I know you probably don't want to hear any of this, but just hear me out." Leah's eyes seemed to be pleading for me to listen to her. So I nodded, picking at the skin around my fingertips nervously. "I was in the same situation as you, Bella. You know that, and I know you brought it up recently with Sam after Jacob finally told you that he had imprinted upon Victoria." I flinched at her name, but I was grateful when Leah chose to ignore it. "I know how... _hard_ it is for you to deal with this. It was hard for me too. Exceedingly so. The fact that we lived in the same place, the fact that we were both _werewolves..._ That was too much for me to bear.

"I stayed up for nights, replaying the scenes again and again in my mind. What had I done wrong? Would I still be with Sam if my cousin had never come to visit me on the La Push reservation? Or would they still have imprinted, just at a later time?"

Leah shook her head ruefully, and I could tell how hard it was for her to tell me this. The pain was evident in her voice, yet she forced herself to continue. "Deep inside, I knew it was my fault. After all, I was the one that had introduced Sam to Emily, and when I saw the look in Sam's eyes, I knew I had done the wrong thing. It was humiliating and shocking, and above all, it was heartbreaking. There I was, standing in front of them with a foolish grin, while Sam had no eyes for anyone else except Emily. Throughout the night, he couldn't seem to pull himself away from my cousin, always gravitating towards her, and I caught him watching her hundreds of times that weekend. But I refused to blame myself. I_couldn't_ blame myself. I blamed Sam, and I blamed Emily. I blamed everyone around me. Emily was much better about the imprinting compulsion than Sam was.

"She was very angry about it. She yelled at Sam, she screamed and she threw fits and pushed him away, but in the end, she had to give in. She begged and pleaded for me to understand that it was too difficult for her to stand. After that fateful weekend, Emily started to come every weekend, and Sam was always delighted to see her, though he tried to hide it from me. Emily refused him over and over again, but each refusal seemed to be weaker than the last. Finally, I had to give in.

"It was hurting Emily, my cousin, my sister, and it was hurting Sam. Especially after Sam had hurt her, back in the woods. That's how she got her scars... I was disgusted myself, though not even half horrified as Sam was. And even though I let them be together, it didn't take away any of the pain that I felt. I was very hostile during those times, as you may remember." Leah took a deep breath, trying to relax. I sat completely still, waiting for her to finish.

"My dad- Harry, you remember him- had died very recently. After I had turned into a werewolf,-" Leah gritted her teeth, remembering that day all too well, I supposed- "everything suddenly became even _harder_ than it had before. When I was a werewolf, there was no way for me to stop from hearing Sam's thoughts. And disgustingly enough, most of them were about Emily, unfortunately for me. It was Emily this, and Emily that, and it was coming from the _thoughts_ of the man that _I_ had originally thought to be perfect and everything I needed. How wrong I had been. Hearing these thoughts angered me even further.

"I was out of control; unstoppable. In retaliation, I conjured up the most _horrible_ things I could think about that would hurt Sam the most. All of his promises, all of his _lies_, everything he said, I threw back in his face. I struck him again and again, knowing I was hurting him, knowing that I was also hurting myself. Why should I have been the only one to suffer? Shouldn't the person that caused me pain suffer as well?" She smiled humorlessly. I remembered what Jacob had said so many years ago.

"Jacob j-just said that-that you accused him of going back on his promises," I stammered. Leah finally gave me a real smile.

"Oh, Jacob. He was just trying to put me in a better light. I didn't deserve that, not back then." Leah clasped my hands kindly.

"Anyways, going back to the story. That's what I believed. That Sam should suffer. He seemed to think so as well, never saying an unkind word to me after he had imprinted on my cousin. Even in his thoughts, he never insulted me or snapped at me. I was surprised, and there was more than enough guilt to go around. But then again, he also _pitied_ me; which I hated beyond belief. I didn't want to be pitied. I didn't ask for any of this, and that's why I hated being a werewolf for those first few years. It all ended okay, though. I'm fine now since it's been a while, and it's almost as if everything has gone back to how it was like before," Leah finished, smiling a bit. I observed that her eyes betrayed what she had said, though.

"I understand that your situation is different from mine, yet very similar at the same time. You loved that blo- Edward, and Jacob loved you as well. You chose Jacob over Edward, and after a little while, Jacob imprinted on another. And now Edward's back. What will you do?" Leah's eyes seemed to dance in anticipation, and I realized I hadn't asked Edward why _he_had returned. I made a mental note to ask him next time I saw him.

"I don't know." I laughed a little. "I was hoping you could tell me. I don't want to, say; completely destroy Jacob in fury though." Leah thought for a moment, then patted my arm lightly.

"If you love Jacob, then you'll do what is right," She decided, staring into my eyes. I tried to wrap my mind around her cryptic advice, but soon gave up. The answer would present itself in due time. At least I hoped. Leah suddenly stood up and danced lithely towards the door. "Oh, and don't forget to take a shower. I could smell you as soon as you walked through that door." I suddenly realized that that was the reason Leah had wrinkled her nose. I also realized that Leah was _leaving_.

"Wait, I haven't gotten my answer yet!" I said desperately, turning to face her. She stopped and thought. Eternities seemed to pass as we lingered in silence.

"If you love- truly, really love- a person, let them go," She whispered softly, so softly that I almost missed it. Then she was gone, leaving the door swinging shut.

"Some advice," I grumbled to myself. But I could see the truth in it. I could see what everyone wanted me to do, including Jacob himself. I could see the decision I would make, and I could see how it would all play out if all went accordingly. That's not to say it wouldn't hurt, because it would. Even after all of these years, Leah was still hurting. Not as much, but pain was pain.

"Shower!" I gasped, smacking my head. Jacob was going to be home soon, and I really did _not_ want to start anything with him at the moment, today of all days.

I hurried up the stairs, quickly checking on Mike and Jakey to make sure they were still sleeping, and then slipped into my bedroom. Grabbing a change of clothes, I turned to go into the bathroom that was linked to the bedroom. Hopping into the shower stall, I scrubbed my skin until it was raw and red and shampooed my hair vigorously. All traces of Edward needed to be washed off or else Jacob would flip out. I hastily jumped out of the shower and dried off, pulling my clothes on.

"Bella!" Jacob's voice rang up the stairs, and I paused for a moment, stunned, before hurrying out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

"Hi Jacob!" I said, flying over to him and wrapping my arms around him.

"Hi Bella, where are the kids?" He chuckled nervously and returned the hug, though less affectionately. Then he sniffed the air. I held my breath anxiously and watched his expression darken.

"Vampire," He spat, shrugging himself out of my arms and stalking over to the table that I had sat at with Leah. I followed him closely. "Do you know anything about this?" He snarled, spinning around to glare at me. I tried to look innocent, shaking my head and biting my lower lip. I knew that if I said anything, Jacob would see right through me.

He looked at the table, then back to me. It suddenly dawned on him and he started violently shaking. I backed away uneasily, hoping he wouldn't lose his control fully. _Come on, Jacob,_ I prayed, _regain your control!_ Jacob clenched his fists and screwed his eyes shut, concentrating hard. And as if he heard my thoughts, he stopped vibrating.

"Edward," He stated flatly. "You went to see Edward."

I nodded; how could I deny it without angering him further?

"Why?"

There were a number of things I could respond with, but none of them would have the effect I desired. So I attempted to be blasé and shrugged.

"Don't give me that, Bella, tell me!" Jacob thundered. I looked at him, shocked. Jacob had never lost his temper like that with me before. At least, not recently. I could feel the rage bubbling up within me, and the bile rose in my throat.

"Why should I tell you? It's not like you've been that faithful to me!" I screamed back at him, staring defiantly. Jacob looked taken aback.

"I want a word with him," He hissed at me, and I shook my head.

"Over my dead body," I snarled back. My hands were balled up into fists as well.

"That can be arranged if you go back to him!" Jacob burst out, starting to shake again.

"He doesn't lose his temper around me like you do!" I snapped, turning my back on him. I knew I was just _begging_ to be killed by doing this, but frankly, I didn't care anymore. If he wasn't going to at least attempt to be rational, then I wasn't going to either. I turned the faucet and started to do the dishes, ignoring the fuming werewolf behind me.

"Are they all back?" Jacob asked, and I could see how hard he was struggling to keep the contempt out of his voice.

"Yep. All of them, like you said."

"Did they say why they came back?"

"No, but I'll ask Ed- them why they came back next time."

"Next time!?" Jacob sputtered in disbelief. He came to my side and started wiping the dishes dry.

"Well yeah, next time. I promised them I'd visit again." He kept quiet for a minute, before sighing loudly. I glanced over at him, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I'm surprised the kids haven't come down to see what's up yet. You've got one pair of lungs there," Jacob said, obviously trying to diffuse the tension between us.

"You know how they sleep. Like rocks," I replied, rolling my eyes. "They're both like you, heavy sleepers."

"I'm a very light sleeper!" Jacob protested, and I laughed at the fake, distressed expression on his face.

"So why'd you go?"

I figured I'd tell him the half-truth, at least. "Well... I wanted to go."

"Did Sam put you up to it?" This caught me off-guard, but I was determined to answer as truthfully as I could.

"Mm, he didn't flat out tell me he wanted me to go, but he did seem to insinuate-"

"Sam," Jacob scowled, slamming a plate down. I looked at him, puzzled. "I'll be back later." Jacob disappeared through the door just like Leah had done not too long ago.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me," I murmured to the plate I was cleaning, inspecting it closely. The light reflected off the plate and the glare blinded me temporarily. I blinked the spots out of my eyes and quickly set the plate down, glowering at it.

"Fine, be like that," I muttered, turning to go wake up the kids. Apparently they were still sleeping soundly, like Jacob had mentioned.

Talking to inanimate objects. I was seriously going insane.


	11. Chapter 11 - Rework

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 011 - Edited version! 6/21/2013**

"So when am I going to meet that bl- meet Edward again?" Jacob caught himself, and I almost choked on the slice of pizza I had been eating.

"Who's Edward?" Little Mike chirped, pizza sauce all over his mouth. I glared at Jacob, before turning to Mike and wiping off his face with a napkin.

"No one you need to worry about," I cooed, while Mike squirmed away from my hand, disgusted.

"Are we going to get to meet him too?" Jake piped up as well. I glared at the _father_ who was sitting across the table, looking quite amused. _Thanks Jacob. They're just like you, unfortunately._

"No, you're not, because no one's meeting him."

"Aww, why not?" Mike complained. Jake joined in, "Yeah, why not, Mom?"

"Because he is not someone you two should be concerned with! You either!" I glared at Jacob, who was responsible for this mess.

"Daddy seems to want to meet him," Mike hinted, staring at me with an angelic look on his face. Jake was busy trying to piece together a slice of pepperoni he had ripped apart.

"We'll continue this conversation later," I said firmly, glaring around the table and daring the boys to say anything. Jacob opened his mouth, then shut it. I smiled satisfactorily.

"Now who wants dessert?"

After a long evening of dodging questions about Edward, Jacob and I were finally alone in our bedroom, getting ready for bed.

"So seriously, all jokes aside, when am I going to talk to – to Edward?" Jacob said quietly, lounging on the bed. I thought about it while brushing my long hair in front of a mirror. It might actually be a good thing for Jacob to talk to Edward; hopefully it would take some of the pressure of making a decision off of me. And as long as the two of them didn't bicker like cats and dogs, I didn't see what could go wrong with talking.

Except for maybe the fact that they probably _would_ bicker like cats and dogs...

"Are you absolutely sure you want to talk to him?" I stalled, giving Jacob a chance to decline.

"Sure, sure," Jacob answered, a little too quickly. I frowned at the mirror, and turned to face him. Jacob looked expectant, even a little eager. _He has to have something he really wants to say to Edward if he's bugging me about it so much... But what?_

"On one condition," I began. "You tell me exactly what it is you want to speak to Edward about."

Jacob raised his eyebrows, irritation creeping into his face. "You mean what I'm going to _think_?" I laughed; just another thing Jacob disliked about Edward. "So you want to know what I'm going to talk to him about?"

I nodded, hands on my hips. _This better be good._

"Well, after you had your little chat with him, I reckoned it was my turn. I just want to pay him a visit and explore our common interests, see if we can figure out a compromise for this dilemma we've seemed to get ourselves into."

"And in English?"

Jacob sighed. "I want to discuss with him something we both care about. Namely, you."

"Why couldn't you have just said so? And shouldn't you be discussing this with _me_, first, and not _him_?" I tried not to let the acid seep into my voice. It was hard enough keeping my voice from shaking. But honestly, the audacity of him!

Jacob grinned at me knowingly, and patted the space beside him on the bed. "Come sit by me. We'll talk, if that's what you want."

"It is what I want," I muttered, stomping over to sullenly sit by him. Thankfully, he didn't try to put his arm around me or I might have seriously gotten angry.

"What do you want, Bella?"

Jacob watched me patiently as I fumbled around for an answer. Every time I opened my mouth to respond, I instantly shut it again, knowing that I couldn't say that. Finally, I answered.

"I wish you would stay with me."

"And Edward? What do you think about him?"

I hesitated. "I want to be with Edward too," I confessed miserably. "If you'd asked me that question when he hadn't come back, I wouldn't have given him a second thought." Jacob nodded, seeming to think that this was reasonable.

"And the kids?"

"I want them to stay with me," I said strongly, surely. How could one separate the kids from their mother, and from a mother who loved them so dearly?

"And... Victoria?" Jacob prompted, looking pained.

"I wish you hadn't imprinted on her," I answered immediately, being very honest that I surprised even myself.

"Is that it? I mean, you don't want a new house or a new car, do you?" Jacob teased playfully. I glared at him dirtily, and then looked away.

"But you do realize that having all of this is unrealistic, right?" Jacob looked at me expectantly. I looked down at my feet, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair with my fingers.

"Yes. I do realize this," I whispered at my toes. My last answer was especially unrealistic. Though, he had asked what I wanted, after all...

"Which one do you think would be the most realistic wishes?" Jacob proceeded to ask. I could see where he was going with this now.

"Well, you un-imprinting yourself from Victoria is obviously not feasible. Keeping you with me forever is probably not possible, either. So that leaves two other answers, being with Edward and staying with the kids." Already, my heart began to sink.

Jacob moved his head up and down encouragingly. "Those are things you still want, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I sighed, now picking at my toenails. I made a mental note to work on my concentration.

"Okay, so –"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" I blurted out, tears stinging my eyes.

Jacob looked shocked, and a moment passed that felt like forever.

"No, of course not, Bella, I was just –"

"Then why are you asking me all of these questions and looking so happy about it? You know what the answer is, I know you do." I wiped the tears from my eyes hurriedly, before the tears could come any faster.

"Bella, honey, don't be like that, you know –"

"WHAT do I know? What exactly is it that you want me to know? Is it that in the end you're going to leave me? Or I'm going to leave you?"

"Come on, Bella, let's act like adults."

"You're telling me that I should act like an adult!?" I exploded, scrambling off the bed and pacing angrily. The tears and sadness were gone now. "Skulking around with another woman behind your wife's _back_ is real adult-like, Jacob! That would be a great example of acting like an adult, wouldn't it?"

"Bella, that's not fair, you know that's not true. And I wasn't _skulking_ around behind your back!" Jacob insisted indignantly. I threw my hands up, still pacing.

"Maybe you weren't skulking, but you were definitely doing something behind my back."

"As if you hadn't gone to visit that bloodsucker without telling me!" Jacob shot back, obviously frustrated enough that he hadn't even bothered to use Edward's name. I didn't even flinch, I was so angry.

I opened my mouth and shut it. "I am going to pretend that I did not hear that."

"Well, you di –"

"You want to go see Edward? Fine, we'll go see Edward. We'll go see him Saturday, and if that's not soon enough for you, then that's too ba –"

Jacob cut me off. "Bella, tomorrow is Saturday."

"– d for you, and –" I stopped talking, then waited a beat for saying, "Oh. Well, in that case, we'll go see him tomorrow. I'm going to go check on the kids; they've probably woken up due to our little argument here. Which you initiated," I said pointedly. Then I spun on my heel and walked out before he could answer. The effect wasn't very dramatic since I was wearing pink, fluffy bunny slippers.

I stalked over to Mike and Jake's bedroom, pushing the door open so that I could peek in. Both kids were soundly sleeping in their respective beds, and I shook my head, hiding a smile. A bomb could have been dropped outside of our home and they probably wouldn't even notice.

Not entirely eager to return back to the bedroom I shared with Jake, I went downstairs and poured myself a glass of milk. I was grateful that I could still drink milk without having the effects of a lactose intolerant person.

"Charlie is not going to be happy about this," I muttered to myself, staring into the bottom of my glass. "But what else can I do?"

I felt like I was in high school all over again. Why did it have to be so difficult for me, loving two people at once? It wasn't even fair. Someone up there definitely hated me.

I shook my head and gulped down the last few mouthfuls in my cup. Oh well. Tonight I'll just sleep on it, and tomorrow will be a brand new day.

* * *

"C'mon Bella, up and at 'em," Jacob said, whispering cheerfully. I groaned and pressed the pillow against my face, trying to block out all of the noise.

"No, leave me alone," I mumbled, turning away from the bright sunlight that was streaming through the windows.

"I gotta drop the kids off at Sam and Emily's, Bella. They're already downstairs watching T.V."

"You and Edward may not need much sleep – well in Edward's case, he doesn't need any sleep at all – but I do! I'm human!" I mumbled again, still keeping my eyes shut tightly and my arms wrapped around my pillow.

Something tugged the sheets around me, but I paid no notice, until the sheets flew off of my sleeping form and landed somewhere on the floor. "Jacob!" I shot up, shivering. He responded by tickling my feet and I squirmed away, pulling my legs up to my chest. "Stop that! Now I'm cold," I complained, and he came over to hug me, gently kissing my cheek. I turned away, somewhat annoyed.

"What time is it? And I thought you were in love with _Victoria_, now," I said sulkily, when he turned to look at me with a question in his eyes. He grinned at me.

"It's 9:00 in the morning, and you're still my wife. Therefore, I still love you," Jacob responded, pulling me in for a real kiss. Now I felt slightly guilty as well, as I wrapped my arms around Jake's wide shoulders, melting into his touch.

Jake pulled away first, still grinning. I rolled my eyes playfully, trying to hide the blush that was crawling up my cheeks. "Get dressed, Bells, I'll go cook breakfast."

My eyes widened in horror. "You better not try to cook breakfast on your forehead again. That was a complete disaster, and it shows you exactly to what extent you should believe in myths."

Jacob grimaced at me, but chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." He loped out of the room and skipped down the stairs, still whistling happily.

"What put him in such a good mood?" I asked my reflection in the mirror. Then I shrugged, and went into the bathroom to take a shower and change.

"Alright kids, let's go!" I sang, sliding into the kitchen. I grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite. Jacob was washing the dishes.

"Where are we going?" Mike asked curiously. I looked at him, confused, then looked at Jacob. He smiled sheepishly at me.

"You didn't tell them?" I hissed. He shook his head, and I rolled my eyes. _Airhead_. "We're sending you to Emily's house again."

"Sam and Emily?" Jake's face lit up, and I laughed at his cute expression.

"Yup, they're the ones. Do we know any other Emily's?" I teased, pinching his cheek. Jake wriggled away from me and scowled.

"Why are we going again?" Mike asked with his mouth full.

"No talking with your mouth full," I scolded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "You guys are going because Mommy and Daddy have some business to take care of."

"Oh. Okay," Mike said, shrugging. He continued to cram food into his mouth.

"As soon as everyone's done, we're going to leave, alright?"

"I'm done with the dishes," Jacob said from behind me, wiping his wet hands on his pants.

"I'm done." Little Jake hopped out of his seat. "But I need to go get sockies."

"Me too," Mike said quickly, pushing back the chair with a screech. "I forgot my socks too."

"Be quick guys, and make sure they match!" I called up the stairs, hoping they would hear me.

Almost instantaneously, the sound of padded feet was heard coming down the stairs.

"Are we ready now?" I asked, smiling.

"Yep," The boys responded happily, adding a toothy smile of their own.

"Finally, we can leave now," Jacob said with an over-exaggerated sigh. He winked at the kids and walked out the door to start up the car.


	12. Chapter 12 - Rework

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 012 - Edited version! 6/21/2013**

"Now, you two boys behave yourself or I'll have your head when I come back," I warned, shaking my finger at the two of them. Emily looked on, hiding a smile.

"They never do anything wrong, Bella, they're just two obedient little boys." She winked at them, and they laughed with her. I reluctantly smiled as well.

"Just in case though, Emily. You'll tell me if they do something wrong though, won't you?"

"Of course, Mom," Emily mocked, her eyes sparkling. "Now hurry up and get back to the car; Jacob's looking a bit impatient.

I rolled my eyes. "When isn't he impatient?"

"Good point," Emily admitted. "All the same, the kids will be fine with me, you know. They're adorable!"

I smiled and thanked her. "We'll be back sometime in the afternoon, alright?"

"Whenever is fine," Emily replied, shooing me away. I waved at the kids, and they waved back.

I walked over to the driver's side of the car. "I'm driving, Jacob, and you are not arguing with me," I stated firmly, upon opening the door.

Jacob started to protest, but I held my hand up, stopping him. "It's either I drive, or you drive us home." Jacob thought about it for a minute, and then got out of the driver's side grudgingly.

"Why do you have to drive?" He muttered, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Because you're going to be busy keeping yourself from exploding and thinking healthy thoughts," I replied, sliding into the car seat.

Jacob grumbled unintelligibly but obeyed and rode shotgun in the car. I secretly smiled, satisfied.

"To the Cullens' house we go," I murmured to myself. "That's sure to be eventful."

We rode in silence to Edward's house, though it wasn't uncomfortable. It was as if we had plenty to say, but we had no words to say it with.

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is?" Jacob finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes."

"And you insist on driving anyways?" Jacob muttered.

"Yep."

He turned to face out the window, and I knew he wasn't really angry. I actually thought he was nervous since his leg was bouncing up and down at hyperactive speeds. Though when I asked if he was nervous, he denied it vehemently.

"We're here," I announced, cutting the engine and letting the car sit in the Cullens' extensive driveway. We sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Let's get this over with," Jacob groaned, climbing out of the car and slamming the door behind him.

"Hey, that's not a good attitude. Where's the fearlessness I saw yesterday?" I joked. Jacob glared at me, clearly not very happy that I was enjoying his unease.

We walked up to the door, careful to stay a few inches apart from each other. I moved my hand to ring the bell, but before I even touched it, the door was wrenched open.

"Bella." A wave of relief washed over Edward's face, but there was still some anxiety in his eyes. I noticed that Jacob took a small step back.

"I told you it was nothing to worry about," Alice called from behind him, rolling her eyes at me. I hid a grin as Edward turned to grimace at her. She lithely danced away, and waved goodbye to me. "Bye Bella, I'll talk to you later!"

"And Jacob." Edward nodded curtly, his face smooth and emotionless. "We weren't expecting – Never mind, what can I do for you?"

"Hello Edward. Can we talk someplace private?" Jacob cut to the chase quickly.

"Sure," Edward half-smiled, seeming to read his thoughts. Then he turned to me, and his face softened exponentially. "Bella, you wouldn't mind waiting in the car, would you?" I could see he meant that as a rhetorical question, but I ignored that thought.

"Um, actually, yes I –," I started out angrily.

"No, Bella wouldn't mind, would you?" Jacob seemed to be forcing a smile, and the words faltered.

"Of course I wouldn't mind," I sighed, turning to walk back down the steps and back to the car. What could they have to talk about that I shouldn't hear?

I watched carefully as Edward and Jacob descended the steps together – well, as close as they could get without killing each other – and walk towards the woods. I tried to pinpoint exactly where they went through, because there was definitely no way I was going to stay in the car and wait for them to come back if they decided to make me wait forever. God knew how long they were going to take.

I waited for what seemed like a half an hour, but must've been only ten to fifteen minutes, drumming my fingers nervously. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer and I jumped out of the car and walked slowly to the point of the forest they had entered. I strained my ears, but I couldn't hear anything at all. _Jacob must be using thought-speak,_ I concluded. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the forest, trying not to step on anything that would crunch or break and give away my position.

As I continued through the woods, wary of poison ivy, I could pick out occasional phrases from a certain musical voice.

"She must've been unhappy... the kids... mm, tough decis..." Edward's voice reverberated quietly around the forest. I stopped once I got close enough to hear enough that I could make out what they were talking about. Or at least, what Edward was talking about and what Jacob was thinking. Suddenly, Jacob started speaking as well.

"It's been hard for her, and even harder for me. You've witnessed it before, the whole imprinting thing between Sam and Emily. Bella told me you thought it was extremely strange how –"

Unfortunately, I had never been blessed with gracefulness, so when I squatted down behind a thicket of bushes, a few twigs cracked under my foot. Jacob suddenly stopped speaking and Edward sighed. He must've motioned for him to continue, because Jacob started speaking again.

"Well, anyways, we still don't know what to do about the kids," Jacob said.

"Right, that would be a difficult decision to make... Well, not so much difficult, it's just not going to make Bella happy," Edward replied regretfully. _What?_

"I know, that's why I didn't push the subject yesterday. She was already angry at me..."

"Why?"

"She thought I was trying to push her away, like I didn't want her anymore."

"Well, in a way you were. The whole imprinting thing, it's just too much for her. Especially at this time. She was just getting settled down and everything," Edward said gently.

I peeked out behind the bushes and saw Jacob vigorously nodding his head.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Jacob's voice trailed off. Then the tone of his voice changed abruptly. "Do you still love Bella?"

My heart almost stopped as silence fell over the forest, then it began to accelerate and thud in my chest loudly as I waited impatiently for Edward's answer. He seemed to be having an inner dispute with himself.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Edward responded strongly, finally, passion hidden deep within his voice. "If not more than, then certainly as much as I loved her before." My heart raced and I became lightheaded. _Breathe_, I heard Edward's voice clear in my head, and I smiled weakly, inhaling and exhaling quietly.

"So what should we do?"

"I think we should let Bella know it's okay for her to join the conversation." Edward's eyes twinkled, and I gasped, immediately pulling my head back behind the bushes. Then I picked myself up and dusted invisible dirt off myself, slowly making my way towards the two of them. They were standing at least ten feet apart, and Jacob's noise was wrinkled, though he tried to hide it. I stopped a few feet away from Jacob and Edward, forming a triangle between the three of us.

"Hi," I said awkwardly. "What have you two been talking about?"

Jacob rolled his eyes and Edward smiled my favorite crooked half-smile. I looked away, trying not to get caught up in his eyes. My heart was still beating painfully in my chest. "As if you don't know."

"I didn't hear the whole conversation, you know," I protested indignantly. "I only got here recently."

"I heard you as soon as you got out of the car. I'd recognize your scent and the beat of your heart anywhere," Edward said smoothly, still grinning at me. Jacob looked disgustedly at him.

"Can I remind you, that Bella is still _my_ wife, and not _yours_," Jacob spat at him. Edward looked unperturbed, and his smile was as bright as ever. His gold eyes sparkled mischievously and he shook his messy bronze hair out of his eyes.

"That's why you're thi –"

"Okay, alright, just try to tone it down a bit, alright? Honestly," Jacob said hurriedly, obviously trying to stop Edward from whatever he was going to say. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, but he avoided my glance.

"So have you two come down to any... compromises?" I raised my eyebrows, looking from one to the other.

"Yeah, we have, actually," Jacob said, resigned. "But we can't promise you'll like them."

"If it's something somewhat reasonable, I'll consider it," I replied. "So what have you come up with?"

"Well, about the kids," Jacob began, "They can't stay with you."

My eyes bulged. "WHAT!? Why not!? Of course they can stay with me, I'm their mother for goodness sake's!"

Jacob looked to Edward for help. "They're kids of a werewolf, Bella. If you came to stay with me, I can't help you take care of them if they suddenly explode into werewolves. How would they feel having a vampire for a father, especially since it's in their blood to hate our kind? It's not fair to them." _But what if I don't want to stay with you?_ Even as I thought that, I knew I would be lying to myself.

"That makes sense, but then, when am I going to visit them? What am I going to do?" I asked desperately. Even the thought of being away from my kids made me sick.

Jacob's faced was masked and unreadable. "You can come visit anytime you want, Bella. They are your kids." He and Edward exchanged glances again, which struck me as somewhat humorous, since I never thought Jacob and Edward would ever be exchanging _anything_. Now was not the time for humor, though.

"But what?" I whispered, knowing that there was definitely a catch to this one.

"If you become a vampire –" Jacob struggled not to spit the word out at me, "– I don't think you'll be able to visit them. Especially not on the La Push reservation. And the treaty will be broken, as well." Of course. _Of course_. Why hadn't I thought about that myself? Obviously I was getting old.

"So you're keeping my kids away from me?" I snapped angrily. "No. Mike and Jake are staying with _me._ I'll deal with them if they suddenly burst into werewolves."

"They might become werewolves much sooner if they have to live with a _bloodsucker_. And he wouldn't even know how to take care of a kid," Jacob spat, unable to hold together his original composure. Jacob was extremely adverse to the idea of our children becoming werewolves. He wanted a normal life for them, a life without imprinting, a life without patrolling, a life without sharing all of your thoughts. Of course, they knew all of the old Quileute tales, as it was tradition to tell kids the stories as they were growing up.

I couldn't bear the thought of living without Mike and Jake. I couldn't stand the thought of having someone else raise my kids. "No," I said, my voice low.

"We're not keeping your kids away from you, Bella, you're keeping your kids away from you," Edward put in flatly. It infuriated me that this was somehow my fault.

"What else besides my kids have you compromised on?" I snapped, angry. I was fuming; trying to buy time so that I could figure out how I could still have my kids and Edward.

"Our separation. If you want, we can be separated, effective immediately," Jacob replied, his face still emotionless.

My eyes widened once again. Separation? "If we do get separated," I started, choosing my words carefully, "Where will I –" Edward caught my eye and winked. Evidently, Jacob hadn't noticed because he didn't comment on it. He had a faraway look in his eyes, visibly absorbed in his own thoughts.

"You're right. Where will you live?" Jacob pondered.

"With me, of course," Edward answered, his expression unreadable as well. Jacob snapped out of his reverie.

"No!" He roared. I stared at him in shock.

"Absolutely not!" He barked angrily, staring Edward down.

"Do you have a better idea?" Edward stared back at Jacob calmly.


	13. Chapter 13 - Rework

**Finally Together -;- JacobxBella/EdwardxBella**

**Chapter 013 - Edited version! 6/21/2013**

**A/N: Chapters 9, 11, 12, and 13 have been updated. Please go back and read them if you have already read the rest of the chapters!**

Uh... I reworked the entire plot for this story, 5 years later. No idea why. Was just suddenly overcome with the desire to finish a story, for once in my life. I'm mostly doing this for me, since... I don't think anyone even reads fanfics on Twilight anymore, but it's here if anyone is. :) Leave me a review if anyone's still alive in 2013 ;) This is probably the longest chapter I have written yet! And I have to write Chapter 14 and 15, and hopefully then I will be done.

* * *

"No," I said, firmly. They both turned to look at me with incredulous looks. And I finally knew what I had to do. I couldn't choose Edward over my kids. And I couldn't make Jacob choose me over Victoria. "No. I'm not moving in with Edward. I want time with the kids. I'm not leaving them. We're not young like we were; we can't move things so fast anymore. They're _four_. And suddenly, mommy and daddy are splitting up and daddy's getting a new mom for them? No, we're not doing it either of your ways. I'll live at home for a while, until Mike and Jake get used to the idea. They're starting preschool in a month, so we'll have time during the day to figure this entire thing out. Jake, you can spend time with Victoria, but we- we should always sleep at the house. In case the kids need us at night or anything. She'll need to be- be acquainted with them at some point, but I can't think about that now. All I care is that she is not cruel to them."

Slowly, Jacob's expression calmed down and he closed his eyes, deep in thought. "I don't want to make this any harder for Mike and Jake either, so we'll do it your way. I love them, too, and I want what's best for them. And I know Victoria can wait. Plus, I know this is hard on Bella, and I don't want to hurt her anymore either." Jacob seemed to be thinking about the time Edward had left me, since Edward suddenly had a pained look on his face. But then Edward turned to look at me, his face smooth.

I looked back at him, subconsciously holding my breath. Even though he had endless patience, he never actually wanted to be patient. I searched his face for any sign of anger, or annoyance, or contempt, but he was just looking at me curiously. Finally, he nodded, and I let out the breath I had been holding.

"Fine. That's uh, it, I guess." I didn't have anything more to say. I knew this was not the solution any of us wanted, but life never worked out in my favor. We all just stood around looking at each other in contemplative silence.

I looked at Jacob. "Let's go home."

Jacob looked startled, then said to me, "Yes – yes, of course, Bella." He looked at Edward. "Goodbye." Jacob turned away before Edward could respond.

"Let's go, Bella," Jacob muttered in my ear, taking my hand and moving quickly towards the car. I tripped over myself in my haste to keep up. I spared a look behind me and sucked in a breath unsteadily. Edward's face was lit up and full of determination, and his skin began to glitter and sparkle, bit by bit. Perplexed, I looked up at the sky and saw the sun beginning to peek out behind a cloud. I turned away, letting Jacob lead me to the car and drive us home.

* * *

We slowly adjusted to real life again. I tried not to think about Edward, because thinking about him would ruin what I was working towards, which was a stable life for my kids. I rarely contacted him, and he seemed to realize that that was best for now. Jacob would still hug and kiss me, but we slept in separate rooms to make things easier. When they asked about it, we told the kids that "daddy snores too loudly for mommy to get a good night's sleep." Some nights, I fell asleep crying.

Mike and Jake started preschool in September and they loved it. Lots of their crafts were hung up on the walls and refrigerator, like macaroni designs and finger paintings. Jacob and I pretended that everything was normal, and we struggled to present a united family front, but what we portrayed couldn't be any further from the truth.

I knew everything couldn't be like this forever.

"When are we gonna see 'Toria again?" Jake asked one night, during dinner. I immediately glanced sideways at Jacob.

"Would you two like to?" He smiled at Jake and Mike as he forked pasta into his mouth. I looked down at my plate and moved my peas around. Jacob had bumped into Victoria when he had taken the kids with him on an errand, so they already knew her. I was still putting off meeting her, which Jacob was unhappy with, but understood.

"Can you guys be on your best behavior if we invite her for dinner?" Jacob asked.

"Do we get ice cream if we do?" Mike asked, and Jake perked up.

"Sure. But only if you guys are good." Jacob then gave me a quick, worried glance, and I tried to smile reassuringly.

"That sounds good! I'll be out running errands on Thursday night so maybe you guys can have dinner then. You guys can order Chinese if she likes it," I lied. I figured I could just go see Edward, if Jacob was bringing Victoria over. I still wasn't ready to see her. Jacob looked slightly disappointed, but I knew he would bring it up with me later.

We cleaned up the dinner table and the kids ran off to play with their toys. Jacob snuck his arms around me as I was washing the dishes.

"So what errands are you running Thursday night?" He asked nonchalantly, after observing me quietly for a few minutes. He picked up a rag to help me rinse off the dishes.

"Well, I thought I'd go see Edward," I replied, focusing hard on scrubbing a spot on the plate I was holding. The muscles in Jacob's arm tightened, but slowly relaxed.

"That's fair, I guess," He said slowly, "But you can't put off meeting Victoria forever."

"The kids seem to like her and that's good enough for me."

"She wants to meet you too, you know. Don't think she doesn't feel bad about this, too."

"I can't right now," I said, my voice final. Jacob let it drop.

Thursday came, and I was antsy all day. I drove Mike and Jake to preschool, and they chattered all the way there about superheroes and who was the best.

"I wonder if superheroes actually exist… Like people who can teleport or run super-fast that they're invisible," Mike mused, enthusiastically kicking the backseat of my chair.

"Mike, quit kicking the back of my chair," I said. I checked the rearview mirror to give him a tired smile.

"Mom, do superheroes exist?" Jake followed up. I thought about the Cullens; Edward with his mind-reading, Alice with her omniscience, Emmett with his strength. Then I thought about the Volturi and shuddered.

"Maybe," I allowed, glancing at Jake in the mirror.

"Cool," Jake breathed. "I wish I was a superhero!"

"What kind of superhero would you be?"

"I would be like Superman. I want to fly. With a cool cape."

"What about me?" Mike piped up.

Jake scrunched up his face and thought. "You can be Flash. Flash runs super-fast and you run pretty fast too." I stifled a laugh, and shook my head.

After I dropped them off, I restlessly puttered around the house, but realized I needed to get out and do something with my pent-up energy. So I bought groceries, filled up the gas tank – even though the tank was nearly full – got my nails done to surprise Alice, then went home and did all of the laundry in the house even though laundry day was Sunday. By then, it was finally time to pick the kids up.

Jacob was already home when we arrived, and the boys jumped all over him, asking what they were eating for dinner. "I figured we'd order Chinese," he replied, his eyes crinkling as he smiled and mussed Mike's hair.

"I'm going to head out then, boys. Have fun!" I bent to kiss Mike and Jake on the head and kissed Jacob on the cheek.

"Bye, mommy," the boys chorused, and I smiled. I got back in my truck, the same one my dad had gifted me all those years ago, and drove out of the driveway. I didn't tell Edward I was coming; I figured I could surprise him since Alice couldn't see me. But I knew my cover would be blown as soon as I drove up the street because the Cullens could hear my truck from a mile off.

I walked up the steps, one hand jammed into my jean pocket and the other poised to knock on the grand, white door. I half-expected the door to be wrenched open by Alice before I knocked, so I waited a moment before knocking. The door slowly opened and Edward's dark golden eyes met mine.

"Bella," he said, somewhat surprised.

"You're surprised?" I blurted out.

"Well, not quite." He smiled wryly. "I expected Jacob to be with you."

"Oh. Right. Where's Alice?"

"They're hunting. I came back early once Alice told me you'd be here." He watched my face carefully. That would explain why his eyes were dark gold. But at least they weren't black.

"Oh, crap, did I interrupt you while you were feeding? I'm so stupid, I just figured you'd be here. I wanted to surprise you since Alice can't see Jacob." I smacked my hand against my forehead.

"It's fine, Bella, you know I'm always happy to see you. I'm glad you came. Alice told me to tell you, 'Nice nails,'" He smiled, tugging at my hand. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, smiling back at him.

"So what brings you here to the ever-unchanging Cullen household?"

I shrugged. "Jacob invited Victoria over for dinner because the kids wanted to see her again. I'm glad they like her though, makes me feel much less uneasy about the whole thing. I still don't want to see her, though."

"Why not?" Edward led me upstairs.

"I don't want to see how much more perfect she is than me. And I don't want to see how Jacob is around her."

Edward snorted and shook his head. "You have never been able to see yourself clearly. And, Jacob had to see _you_ around _me_ before," Edward said in a low voice.

"That's… That's different."

"Is it?" Edward sat on his bed and pulled me down so that I was seated next to him. My hand skimmed over the soft, white comforter as I thought about his question.

"He knew what he was getting into. He could have chosen to stay away," I said, finally.

"He could have chosen to stay away…" Edward mused. We sat there in silence until Edward finally broke it.

"You should still meet her. Don't just approve of her because your kids seem to get along with her, see for yourself. You are trusting her with a very big part of your life." Edward was right; he was always right. I knew I couldn't put it off any longer.

"Don't I smell bad?" I asked, changing the subject. Edward wrinkled his nose, but smiled.

"Bella, the werewolf smell might mask your scent, but nothing can keep me from picking it out. I'm just happy that I can smell you at all." He grinned, and I laughed.

We just spent time together, like old times. Edward sat at the piano and composed a new piece, which transitioned into the lullaby he had played for me so many years ago. I sat next to him and watched his dancing fingers, wishing I could learn that fast, wishing I could be an unstoppable force of nature, too. He cooked dinner for me and watched me ate; at this point, nothing about Edward surprised me anymore.

I sighed, and subtly checked my watch. 9 o'clock. But no matter how subtle my movements, Edward always noticed. "You have to go," he said, his voice subdued. I nodded.

"Jacob will be worried." I couldn't meet his eyes. He suddenly pulled me forward and crushed me to his chest. I could feel his icy skin through my shirt, and I shivered. Never had I welcomed the cold like I did then.

"It was good to see you, Bella," Edward said, stepping back, his voice more formal, but his eyes were sad. "You were right to choose Jacob. He gave you something that I couldn't."

I blinked back the tears that were suddenly in my eyes, willing myself to stay strong. I made myself march through the door, still holding his hand. But I had to let go. Edward touched his fingers to my lips.

"Be safe, Bella," he whispered. The glass door shut in between us, and I found myself on the outside, looking in.

I could feel his golden eyes following me as I walked down the steps while blinking away tears, and I eventually managed to get myself into my truck. I knew the longer I stayed, the more tempted I would be to run back in and beg to stay a little while longer. So I quickly turned the engine on and peeled out of the driveway.

The tears came freely then, streaming from my eyes and forming rivulets on my face. I tried to brush them away, but found myself crying too hard for it to be any use. Why? Why did it have to be so hard. Why did Jacob have to imprint, and Edward have to come back? Would it have been different, easier, if Edward hadn't?

It was dark out, and I could barely trace the outlines of the trees in the forest with my eyes. With one hand on the steering wheel, I leaned over to rummage around on the floor for a box of tissues, but it was so dark that I couldn't see anything. When I glanced back up, a dark shape had materialized in front of me, and I screamed, trying to swerve around it.

My reflexes had never been that good. The truck collided with the solid shape and sent me spinning out of control.


End file.
